


As Fragile As Ice

by SchalaDresdan



Category: Sword Art Online, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: (Unnamed) Minor Character Death(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Confident Katsuki Yuuri (eventually), Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Hospitalization, Katsuki Yuuri played SAO, M/M, Mutual Pining, Non-Graphic Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, SAO Violence, Victor Will Be In This Eventually I Promise, Yuuri Has Panic Attacks, hospital visits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 06:49:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11526813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SchalaDresdan/pseuds/SchalaDresdan
Summary: In the Death Game of Sword Art Online, lives are as fragile as ice, and shatter as easily as glass.Katsuki Yuuri got one of the 10,000 copies of Sword Art Online when he was 20 years old, just as his senior skating career was taking off. He logged on to Sword Art Online on November 6, 2022 to play with his friend, Tsuboi Ryoutarou. And his struggle began, to stay alive and clear Sword Art Online as part of the Fuurinkazan guild.Yuuri’s life will never be the same.





	1. Stress Will Kill You

**Author's Note:**

> I am moving the storyline of Yuri!! on Ice! to the year 2025. Yuuri will turn 23 on November 29, 2024, making him the same age as in the show timeline. Everyone else’s ages are the same. There will be some major deviations from the show timelines, both for SAO and YOI. For example, Yuuri trained in Detroit for two years when he was in high school, but he moved to Tokyo to attend college.

November 4, 2022

Katsuki Yuuri sighed as he made his way off of the ice. _ I’m too distracted today. If she knew the reason, she’d skin me alive.  _ Yuuri shook his head.  _ The NHK is in two weeks. This is my first year to be in the Grand Prix. I need to concentrate. _

Yuuri’s coach, Odagaki Kanako, approached him as he stepped off the ice and slipped the blade guards on. She sighed as she said, “Yuuri, you can do better than this. You came in 4th at Skate Canada, so you have a shot at the Grand Prix Final.”

Yuuri hung his head, “I know, I’m sorry, Coach. I’ve been a bit distracted lately.” 

Kanako shrugged, satisfied that the light reprimand was enough to bring Yuuri in line. “Just come in tomorrow prepared to do your best. You need to medal at the NHK.”

Yuuri nodded.  _ The Grand Prix, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity. This is my year, I can feel it. I’ll make it to the finals. I’ll finally get to meet my idol, Victor… _

Victor Nikiforov. The World Champion skater. The Olympian. The unreachable ideal. The reason that he trained so hard every day. It was all so that he could someday meet that person that he admired so much. Yuuri sighed as he walked towards the locker room.  _ So why in the world am I taking time out of my schedule to play a game? How in the world did he talk me into this? _

Yuuri walked into the locker room to take a quick shower. He changed into street clothes as he continued to wrap his head around what he was going to do.  _ I’m going straight there after this. I told Ryoutarou to save me a spot.  _ Yuuri shook his head.  _ I can’t believe that I let him talk me into this. I’m not a gamer… _

***

Yuuri met Tsuboi Ryoutarou on his first day of class at the University of Tokyo. He had walked into the classroom of his first class and saw that the seats of the lecture hall were filling quickly. About halfway up, there was a table with two empty seats. Being shy, Yuuri decided to sit there, rather than ask to sit with anyone.

A short time later, a tall, scruffy looking young man walked into the classroom. He looked around the room for a seat, but the room was nearly full to capacity. He walked up to where Yuuri was sitting and asked, “Is this seat taken?” 

Yuuri shook his head. The man pulled out the chair and flopped into it. He sighed as he said, “Man, I was hoping to sit by a cute girl. I should have left earlier.” He shrugged and added, “Oh, well, it can’t be helped. I’m Tsuboi Ryoutarou, third year.”

Yuuri responded, “I’m Katsuki Yuuri, first year. Why are you taking this class? Shouldn’t you have taken it as a first year student?”

Ryoutarou huffed as he responded, “I’m majoring in Advertising and Graphic Design, and I started taking my major classes early due to my double major. I put off this class for one very important reason: I was bad at English in high school…”

Yuuri interrupted him, “I can help you, if you want. I just spent the last two years in America. My English is really good.”

Ryoutarou asked, “Why did you spend two years in America?”

Yuuri said, “I’m a figure skater. I was in Detroit training. So I finished high school there. I just moved back to Japan.”

Ryoutarou smiled and scratched his head as he said, “I don’t know anything about figure skating, except my mom used to watch it, you know, when the Olympics were on. Have you won anything?”

Yuuri nodded, “I’ve won several local competitions, and last year I came in 2nd at the Japanese Nationals. That was good enough for me to go to the Four Continents, my first ever international skating competition. I came in 6th there.”

Ryoutarou said, “That’s cool. What do you like to do in your spare time?”

Yuuri answered, “I don’t have a lot of spare time, between school, training, and competitions. But I also like to practice ballet. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, actually longer than I’ve been skating. How about you? Any sports or hobbies?”

Ryoutarou snorted. “I’ve never been the athletic type. I played some basketball in high school, because the captain was a friend of mine, but I quit as soon as I could. I prefer to play video games. Particularly MMO’s.”

Yuuri asked, “What is an MMO?”

Ryoutarou said, “It is short for MMORPG, which means Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. I’m sure you’ve heard about the game World of Warcraft, or WoW for short, that was popular in the early 2000’s? It was an MMO.”

Yuuri nodded.  _ I remember people talking about that game. I didn’t know things like that were still around. _

Ryoutarou continued, “The cool thing is that you can be anything you want to be. For example, in my current game, I play a really kickass half-elf character named Kasai. He uses a flaming sword. Last night my guild and I took down a frost giant. It was awesome”

Yuuri thought,  _ You can be anything you want to be… I’ve always been bad with social interactions. Maybe… _ “I think I would like to try playing sometime.”

Ryoutarou said, “I’d be happy to show you how to play. But we better save it for later. It looks like class is about to start.”

***

Over the next two years, Yuuri and Ryoutarou developed a fast friendship. Yuuri somehow found time between training, competitions, and classes to hang out with Ryoutarou. He had dabbled with online gaming during those two years, but due to level discrepancies, he had found it less than satisfying. It is never much fun when there are conversations along the lines of: “Why don’t we go and do (high level quest) today?” “No, there is no way that (Yuuri’s character name) could survive the trip.” Or when all of the party goes to fight a mid-level boss, and Yuuri was forced to hide just close enough to get experience from the battle, but far enough away to not get caught in the actual fight. Yuuri never played for very long.

When Ryoutarou graduated and found a job, Yuuri feared that it would be the end of the friendship. Neither of them had much free time, after all. So Yuuri was pleasantly surprised that Ryoutarou always seemed to find time for his younger friend. This was especially important as the Grand Prix came around, and Yuuri found out that he was being allowed to compete in it that year. The stress was almost too much for Yuuri to handle.

Several months before, Ryoutarou and Yuuri had been sitting in a café. Ryoutarou had been listening patiently to all of Yuuri’s insecurities, when he said, “Man, you are under too much stress. You never have any fun anymore. Why don’t you take less classes next semester? You’re going to be a fifth year anyways. Take some of the pressure off of yourself.”

Yuuri sighed. “You’re right. Maybe I should take this semester off completely. I have the Grand Prix to worry about and all.”

Ryoutarou nodded. “That way you can concentrate on your skating career and still have some down time.” He paused for a moment. “Speaking of down time, look at this new game that is coming out this fall.”

Ryoutarou had pulled out his phone to show Yuuri the advertisement for Sword Art Online. Yuuri watched the promo video with little interest. “Not another MMO, Ryoutarou. You know I’ve not enjoyed playing them in the past.”

Ryoutarou protested, “But this time will be different.” Yuuri sighed. “No, just hear me out. This one is the first ever VRMMO. You will feel like you are really there, and moving your own body. Also, since we would all start together on launch day, there wouldn’t be the issue with levels like in the past.”

Yuuri sighed again. “You really want me to try this game?”

Ryoutarou nodded. “I think it would be good for your stress.”

Yuuri capitulated, saying, “Okay, what exactly do I need to play this game, and when does it come out?”

***

And that is how Yuuri found himself in his current situation. He was on his way to the store, to stand in line all night and buy a video game.  _ I hope there’s no media there. I’m just well-known enough to cause a stir. I don’t want that… _

Yuuri had always been insecure about his “celebrity” status. Most of the time, he got by without being recognized. But every once in awhile…  _ Usually it only happens at competitions, or just after one. I’m just one of a dime-a-dozen skaters certified by the Japan Skating Federation. I’m nothing special.  _

Yuuri caught sight of Ryoutarou, standing at the end of a small line and talking with five guys that he didn’t know.  _ That’s right, I’ve never met his gaming friends in real life before. _ Yuuri hailed Ryoutarou as he made his way across the parking lot to the sidewalk in front of the store. 

Ryoutarou, hearing his name, looked up from his conversation to see the younger man walking towards him.  _ He really came. Good, I’ve been worried about him lately. He needs to do something about his stress before it kills him...  _

As Yuuri walked up, Ryoutarou gestured towards his friends and said, “Let me introduce you to everyone. Guys, this is Katsuki Yuuri, the friend from college I’ve told you all about. He’s also the one that played with us briefly on our old game.” The other guys nodded politely. 

Ryoutarou introduced the others, and they started talking about gaming. Yuuri tried to follow  the conversation, but honestly he didn’t understand half of what they were saying.  _ Farming? Camping? Are those really gaming terms? What the Hell are they talking about? _

His phone vibrated in his pocket, so Yuuri pulled it out. There was a message from Phichit.  _ “Are you in line yet?” _

Yuuri had met Phichit  Chulanont while he was training in Detroit. Phichit was a junior skater at the time, and had moved with his mother from Thailand to the United States to train. He was only 13 at the time, but he was very talented. And he had followed Yuuri everywhere. They had become friends, and had stayed in touch. Phichit was 17 now, a senior skater, and was skating in the Grand Prix as well. Yuuri couldn’t wait to see him at the NHK.

Several weeks before, Yuuri had told Phichit that he was going to try Sword Art Online. Phichit was … enthusiastic… about nearly everything, and this was no exception. 

Yuuri texted back,  _ “Yes, I’ve met up with my friend and we’re waiting. We’ll be here all night.” _

Phichit asked, _ “How long is the line? Are you going to score one?” _

Yuuri glanced at the line before answering,  _ “The line is not that long, there is only about 15 or 20 people ahead of us. We’re a group of 7. I think this store is getting 50 copies.” _

Phichit replied, _ “It is so cool that you are going to get to play Sword Art Online! It is all that the kids can talk about here. I wish I could play it too. But, as far as I know, there is no word on a U.S. release…” _

Yuuri chuckled.  _ “I wish you could play, too. I’ll make sure to tell you all about it Monday.” _

Yuuri slipped his phone back into his pocket as he sat down and settled himself onto the concrete. It was going to be a long night.

***

November 5, 2022

“Yuuri. Yuuri, wake up. It’s almost time.” Yuuri opened his eyes to see Ryoutarou kneeling next to him, one of his hands on Yuuri’s shoulder, gently shaking him. “The store is about to open.”

Yuuri mumbled sleepily, “Yea, sorry I fell asleep.” He had, at some point the night before, drawn his knees up and rested his arms on them. His head had fallen to his arms. Yuuri tried to stretch out his stiff muscles as he stood. _How long did I sleep like that?_ Yuuri stuffed the blanket he had brought back into his training bag. He glanced at his watch; it was 8:50. _The store opens at 9._ _I have to be at practice at 10. I hope that I’m not late. Coach will eat me for lunch…_

Yuuri tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He noted that several others in the line were doing the same. He glanced behind him and saw that the line had grown significantly overnight.  _ It is going to sell out. But I already knew that. _ Yuuri had attempted to purchase a copy online to avoid this madness, but the online stores sold out within seconds of listing the game. 

The buzz near the front of the line grew louder. Yuuri could just make out a person on the inside of the store approaching the front door.  _ Looks like it’s time. _ The door opened, and the line began moving slowly into the store. It did not take long for Yuuri, Ryoutarou, and their friends to make it to the front of the line. Once there, Yuuri purchased the game and the Nervegear needed to play it. His hands shook slightly as he stuck his credit card into the chip reader.  _ This is a lot of money just to play a game. I hope it lives up to the hype.  _

Yuuri stuffed the hardware into his bag before stepping away from the counter. He flagged down Ryoutarou, who was in the process of finishing his own transaction. “Ryoutarou, sorry, but I have to go. I can’t be late to practice.”

Ryoutarou nodded as he replied, “Just don’t forget that the launch is tomorrow at 13:00.”

Yuuri laughed. “Like I could. It’s all that you’ve talked about for the last month. See you online tomorrow.”

Once out of the madness of the store, Yuuri stopped for a moment. He dug out his phone and took a selfie holding the game. Pleased with the picture, he sent it to Phichit. He included the message:  _ “Scored a copy. Can’t wait for the launch tomorrow. I’ll tell you all about it later.” _

***

November 6, 2022

Practice that morning had been brutal. Coach was making Yuuri work doubly hard to make up for his poor practices the two previous days.  _ I was distracted, and worn out. I deserve it. The NHK will be here before I know it. I have to work as hard as I can, so I’ll qualify for the finals. _

Yuuri wearily stepped off of the ice. He slipped on the blade guards and waited for Coach to come and talk to him.  _ How bad will she reprimand me today? _

Yuuri took a drink from his water bottle, and wiped his face with the towel he had left hanging on the wall. Coach Odagaki approached him and nodded as she said, “Both of your programs looked much better today. Just try to stay out of your own head, Yuuri. You land your jumps beautifully in practice, but you get anxious in competition and miss them.” She sighed  as she added, “Try to find some way to relax between now and the NHK. I believe you have a shot at the finals. Just don’t trip yourself up.”

Yuuri nodded.  _ Everything that she said is true. I am my own worst enemy at competitions. I need to control my anxiety better _ .  _ Maybe Ryoutarou is right. My stress level is just too high. I think taking time off from school was the right call. And maybe taking some of my stress out on this new game will help, too. _

Yuuri noted that the junior skaters were starting to come in.  _ I’m Coach’s only senior skater right now, until one of these guys moves up. They’re still a few years from that, though. _

One of the junior skaters had arrived early. He often did, and watched the end of Yuuri’s practice. It didn’t bother Yuuri, so Coach Odagaki allowed him to keep coming. He was a cute kid, about 14 or so, with blond and red hair.   _ What’s his name again? Minami? Yes, that’s right. Minami  _ _ Kenjirou. _

Minami rushed over to Yuuri and exclaimed, “Katsuki-senpai, your routines are so cool! I love your step sequences! I wish I could be as good as you someday.”

Yuuri had, on occasion, stayed to watch the junior skaters practice.  _ This kid is good. He’ll give me a run for my money in a few years.  _ Yuuri smiled, “Thank you, Minami-kun. Your routines looked good when I saw them last week. When is your first competition this season?”

Minami grinned, “I get to be in the NHK, too! In the junior division.”

Yuuri replied, “Then we will have to cheer for each other. Keep working hard, and I’m sure you’ll medal.” He waved as he gathered his things and started towards the locker room.

Minami stammered out, “Thank you, Katsuki-senpai. I won’t let you down!” 

***

It was a little after 12 when Yuuri arrived at his apartment. He was greeted at the door by his poodle, Vicchan. The small dog was jumping up and down excitedly . “Okay, boy. We have time for a short walk.” He grabbed the leash by the door and hooked it to Vicchan’s collar. 

Yuuri took Vicchan around the block a few times before the two returned to his apartment. He put the leash back on its hook by the door and hung up his jacket. Yuuri then made sure that Vicchan had food and water in his bowls. He glanced at his watch.  _ It’s 12:45. I should get everything set up. _

When he had gotten home yesterday, Yuuri had hooked up the Nervegear to make sure it worked. He had done all of the calibration for the hardware so that he would be ready for today. He had also installed the game onto the Nervegear. 

Yuuri sighed as he walked back into his bedroom.  _ I still can’t believe that I let Ryoutarou talk me into this.  _ Yuuri plugged the Nervegear into the power jack. He took off his glasses and laid them on the bedside table as he sat down on the bed. Then he took the cumbersome Nervegear helmet and slipped it onto his head, securing the chin strap.

Yuuri took a deep breath as he stretched out on his bed. He got comfortable and waited. There was still a few minutes until 13:00. While he waited, Vicchan jumped onto the bed and rested his head on Yuuri’s hand. Yuuri gently rubbed him under the chin. “I’m going to be here, but not here, for a little bit. Be a good boy, Vicchan. I’ll play with you when I get offline tonight.”

The clock on the Nervegear turned to 13:00.  _ It’s now or never. Let’s do this. _

“Link start…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odagaki Kanako is Minami's coach from Yuri!! on Ice! It made sense to me that if Yuuri was training at Minami's rink, they would have the same coach.


	2. Appearances Can Be Deceiving

November 6, 2022  
13:00 - Launch Day

The system turned on with a nearly blinding array of colors. The system went through its checks, making sure that all was working properly. It asked for Yuuri’s username and password, which he had set up the day before. After logging in, the screen went white as the system booted up Sword Art Online.

A soothing female voice announced, “Welcome to Sword Art Online. You have not created an avatar. Please do so now. First, please state the gender you would like to play.”

Yuuri responded, “Male.”

The voice continued, “You have chosen male.” A prototype male character, average in height, weight, and general appearance, appeared before Yuuri. 

The voice said, “Next, please customize your avatar. State desired build.”

Yuuri thought for a moment.  _ I could look like him. No one would ever know.  _ “Height: 180 cm. Build: Slender.”

The avatar in front of him changed; it got taller and more slender. Yuuri continued to play with the avatar settings until it looked like a certain Russian skater. For the hair, he chose to use the style that Victor had used as a junior skater, a long, gray ponytail. 

The voice said, “Please confirm avatar settings. Warning, only hair style and color can be changed after exiting the avatar setup menu.”

Yuuri thought for a moment.  _ If I okay this, I’ll be stuck with it from now until I stop playing the game. Is it really okay for me to make a character that looks like Victor?  _ Yuuri shook his head.  _ He’ll never know… _ Yuuri responded, “Avatar settings confirmed.”

The voice said, “Avatar settings have been confirmed. Please choose your character name. Note: no kanji are allowed in character names.”

Yuuri paused for a moment.  _ What should I use as a name? Not my real name, I know better than that.  _ Yuuri sighed.  _ I should have asked Ryoutarou for help with this. I need one without numbers. I remember Ryoutarou telling me that putting numbers at the end shows a lack of creativity. Also, one that will be easy for everyone to remember, and say, would be best.  _

Yuuri looked at the avatar he had created.  _ I can’t. I can’t use Victor. It would be too much. Ryoutarou and his friends would never let me hear the end of it.  _ He sighed, tapping the side of his mouth with his finger as he thought.  _ But could I use something close?  _

Yuuri stood, lost in thought, for a moment. It was long enough for the voice to repeat the request.  _ I’ve got it. I’ll take the Ni from Nikiforov and the ki from Katsuki. Niki.  _ Yuuri said, “Character name: Niki.”

The voice said, “Please confirm name and spelling.” The name appeared in a dialog box in front of Yuuri. He hit the confirm button.

The voice said, “Please select starting equipment.”

An array of weapons appeared before Yuuri. There was a short sword, a dagger, an axe, a spear, a mace, and a staff. Yuuri looked at the weapons and tried to make sense of the statistics listed under them.  _ I didn’t know I was going to have to choose a weapon too. I bet Ryoutarou chooses a sword.  _ He looked at the dagger, axe, and mace.  _ I don’t want to be close enough to an enemy to use any of those. And the staff doesn’t have an edge on it.  _

Yuuri reached out and grasped the spear in his hand.  _ The shaft fits in my hand perfectly. And the weight and balance feels right, almost like it was made specifically for me.  _

The voice said, “Confirm weapon choice.”

Yuuri confidently said, “Starting equipment: Spear.”

The voice stated, “This concludes character creation. Please stand by while the tutorial loads. Thank you for playing Sword Art Online.”

***

14:30

After completing the game tutorials, Yuuri appeared in the warp plaza of the Town of Beginnings. He glanced at the time display in the lower left corner of his vision. _ I’m supposed to meet Ryoutarou and the others at 18:00, next to the warp gate. I’m still not sure about how the game works, even after the tutorial. The fighting mechanics are difficult; I’ll have to ask Ryoutarou to help me later.  _

Yuuri took a deep breath as he looked around the warp gate plaza. The blue warp gate was in the center of the plaza, making it impossible to miss.  _ So that is where I will appear if I warp to this town. It is also where I’ll reappear when my character is killed.  _ Yuuri winced slightly.  _ Which I’m sure will happen, a lot, if my past gaming experiences are any indication. _

Yuuri could see, in the upper left hand corner of his vision, a green bar showing his hit points. The number 200 was written underneath it, as well as his character name.  _ I need to remember, I’m not Yuuri in here. I’m Niki.  _

He swiped down with the first two fingers of his right hand to open the main menu. Once there, he clicked on items, to see his starting equipment.  _ Looks like the game is starting me with the spear I chose in startup, and five low-level healing potions. I also have 500 Cor. I guess that is the money in this game?  _ Yuuri clicked on the potions, and transferred two of them to his pouch.  _ In the manual, it suggested doing this so they could be accessed quickly. I’ll have to remember to keep healing and other important items in my pouch. _

Yuuri then clicked on his spear and hit the equip button next to it. A message popped up.  _ “Error: Weapons cannot be equipped in town, unless the player is in duel mode.” _ Yuuri rested his hand on his chin.  _ So there are restrictions on weapons in town. I read that the towns are all safe zones, so I guess that makes sense. _

Yuuri sighed.  _ I’m never going to learn anything if I just stand here. I need to get used to how the game works.  _ He began to walk around the square, getting used to the movements of the slightly taller body he had created.  _ It feels odd, suddenly being 7 centimeters taller. It makes a difference in how my body moves.  _

As Yuuri walked along the boundary of the plaza, he caught a glimpse of himself in a shop window. The reflection he saw made him stop for a moment. It was mostly the eyes. He had expected to see his own brown eyes, but the eyes that stared back at him were a light blue-green. Yuuri reached up and touched his face. The reflection did the same. He covered his face with his hands as a deep blush crawled across his face.  _ Why? Why did I think this was a good idea?  _

Yuuri took a deep breath.  _ Just calm down. It is too late to change it now. And chances are that none of the other players will recognize Victor Nikiforov anyways. I can always change the hair color later to make it less obvious.  _ He continued to walk, as he tried to familiarize himself with the town’s layout. He was a few streets away from the warp plaza when he noticed it. 

There was a small group of male players following him. 

Yuuri tried to stay calm.  _ The manual said that you can’t be harmed in town; they’re all safe zones. They can’t do anything to me, right? What can they possibly want with me? _ Yuuri started to walk faster. The players kept the pace, and were now calling out to Yuuri.  _ I don’t think I can outrun them. What do I do? _

Yuuri decided there was only one thing to be done. He turned around to confront them, arms crossed over his chest. One of the players, obviously their leader, said, “Hey cutie. Took you long enough. We’ve been trying to get your attention. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

Yuuri was surprised.  _ They...think I’m a girl? Why?  _ With as much confidence as he could muster, Yuuri responded, “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m a guy.”

The men in front of him gave him a hard look. “No way! You look so feminine...” The group was shaking their heads in disbelief. One of the men shyly added, “Sorry about that…”

Yuuri shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” 

He turned away from the men.  _ I heard that in games like this, there aren’t usually a lot of female players. My character is rather…  androgynous. I understand the confusion.  _ He smirked slightly.   _ I thought that choosing the blue clothing option would help, but it appears I may have been mistaken… _

After leaving the group of confused men behind, Yuuri continued to wander through the streets of the town. In his head, he was mapping out the town.  _ I have no intention of leaving town until I meet up with Ryoutarou and the others later. The least I can do is become familiar with the town. That way maybe I’ll be of some use to the group.  _ The street that he was currently walking down was lined with shops, restaurants, and inns. Each of the shops he passed had signs outside, advertising what types of items they sold. 

Yuuri noticed a shop that had a sign advertising armor.  _ I’m going to need armor of some sort. The game started me with a spear, but nothing else.  _ Yuuri approached the door of the shop.  _ How do I get in? Is there a menu for this, or do I just push open the door like in the real world?  _ He gingerly grabbed the door handle and gave the door a gentle push. It opened easily, revealing a small room. The room was mostly taken up by a large counter, behind which was an assortment of armor. There was also a man with a trimmed black beard standing patiently behind the counter. He did not have a cursor above his head, which marked him as an NPC.

As Yuuri entered the shop, the man said, “Welcome to my shop. How may I help you today.”

Yuuri thought,  _ At least now I know how to interact with the NPC’s. That was easier than I thought it would be.  _ “I would like to see what armor you have available.”

The shopkeeper asked, “What weapon do you use?”

Yuuri replied, “I use a spear.”

The shopkeeper pulled two sets of armor and one helmet out of the cubbies behind him. He set them on the counter. “This is what I have available for spearmen. Take a look and let me know if anything interests you.”

Yuuri approached the counter and looked over the armor.  _ How do I check the stats again? Oh, right, just click on the armor.  _ He touched the closest set of armor and saw that the price was 1,000 Cor.  _ Well, that is above my price range. The stats are good, though. Defense +10, and only -2 Agility. I’ll have to save up for it. But I still need something to wear in the meantime. _

Farther down the table was another set of armor. He touched that set to reveal its stats.  _ This set is only 200 Cor. The stats are not nearly as good; Defense +3 and -1 Agility. But it is better than going without anything at all.  _ He checked the helmet’s stats before making his final decision.  _ This is also 200 Cor, but it is only Defense +1. I’ll pass on the helmet for now. I might need my money for something else. _

Yuuri moved back to the second set of armor. He said to the shopkeeper, “I would like to purchase this armor, please.”

The shopkeeper nodded. A message box appeared in front of Yuuri. It said,  _ “Would you like to purchase the item ‘Simple Leather Armor' for 200 Cor?” _ Yuuri clicked the accept button. The armor on the counter disappeared. The message box now read,  _ “Item ‘Simple Leather Armor' has been added to your inventory.” _

The shopkeeper asked, “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

Yuuri shook his head, “No, thank you."

The shopkeeper said, “Please come again.”

Yuuri nodded as he walked out the door.

***

17:25

Yuuri had been walking around the Town of Beginnings for quite some time.  _ I think I have found just about everything we could possibly need. I know where there are item, armor, and weapon shops, as well as affordable inns and restaurants.  _ His stomach growled.  _ Speaking of restaurants, lunch was quite some time ago. If I log out now, I could get something to eat and log back in before I’m supposed to meet up with Ryoutarou and the others. _

Yuuri pulled up his menu and looked for the logout button.  _ Where is it? This is where they said it was in the tutorial, and in the manual.  _ He stopped another player that was walking past.

Yuuri asked, “Excuse me, but I can’t find the logout button. Where is it supposed to be?”

The other player answered as he pulled up his own menu. “On the main menu screen, at the bottom… Wait, it’s not here…? What the...?”

Yuuri was trying not to panic.  _ It is the first day, it’s just a bug, it will be fine… _ “Do you know if there is another way to logout?”

The other player shook his head. “No, but don’t worry. I’m sure they are working on fixing it.”

Yuuri took a few deep breaths.  _ It’s going to be okay.  _

He had almost convinced himself of that when he was forcefully teleported to the main square. Yuuri glanced around the quickly filling square. All of the players seemed to be there. Some players seemed nervous, others wore looks of confusion, and a few were angry, protesting the forced teleport. Then someone pointed up at the sky above them. 

There was a blood red tile with the English word  _ Warning _ written on it.

The dome of the sky was quickly filled with red squares, all of which said  _ Warning _ or  _ System Announcement _ on them. Then a dark red liquid, like blood, started to seep from them. The liquid congealed into a figure: a faceless, hooded Game Master.

In a voice that rose over the clamor of the crowd, the Game Master said, “Attention, players. Welcome to my world.  My name is Akihiko Kayaba. And as of this moment, I am in control of this world.”

Yuuri could hear some people muttering at that announcement.  _ What is going on? Is this part of the game launch? It is… definitely unsettling…  _

Kayaba continued, “I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus: the logout button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be.

“You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life.”

The crowd began to shout, most not believing what the faceless madman was saying. Yuuri looked up at the intimidating figure in disbelief.  _ I can’t log out? How? Why? Why would anyone do this? _

Kayaba continued, “Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear, an unfortunate decision, to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred thirteen less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world.”

Yuuri felt like he had been hit in the gut.  _ Two hundred and thirteen people? They’re dead? _

Kayaba pulled up several screens, showing media coverage in a variety of languages. “As you can see, international media outlets have round-the-clock coverage of everything, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game. 

“It's important to remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system… forever. And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There is only one way for a player to escape now. You must clear the game. Right now, you're gathered on Floor One, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game.”

Yuuri could feel panic start to bubble up from within his chest.  _ I’m stuck here… And if I die here I die in the real world, too? I’m not even supposed to be here! I’m not a gamer! _

Despite the rising panic, Kayaba continued with his speech, “Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please have a look.”

Yuuri opened up his menu, curiosity getting the better of him. In his item list was a new item named “mirror”. Yuuri clicked on it. A handheld mirror appeared in his hand, reflecting Victor’s face back to him. 

Then Yuuri noticed that other players were being surrounded by a blinding light. The light soon surrounded Yuuri as well. When the light dissipated, Yuuri looked again into the mirror. Instead of light blue-green eyes under silver-gray bangs, the eyes that stared back were a rich brown. The hair was black, and the face rounder and chubbier than the one he had so carefully created just hours before. It was his face, his real face, that was reflected there. The mirror fell from Yuuri’s lifeless fingers. It hit the ground, and shattered into multicolored pixels.

_ Why would he…? _

His thoughts were interrupted by Kayaba, once again speaking to the now confused and terrified players. “Right now, you are probably wondering why. Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design. As you can see, I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online.

Players, I wish you the best of luck.”

The figure retreated back the way that it had come, and the red warning tiles disappeared. For a moment the square was silent. Then, somewhere in the square, a young girl screamed. 

This seemed to set off the crowd, as people began to scream, run, cry, or try to rationalize what had happened. Yuuri’s brain had gone numb. Tears began to trickle down his cheeks as it sunk in.  _ I...I’m stuck? How can I be stuck? This was going to be my year…  _

He fell to his knees, and covered his face with his hands.  _ How long? How long can I stay in here before my skating career is beyond salvaging? Two months? Three? Any longer off of the ice, and I may not be able to compete again… _

Yuuri shook his head.  _ Forget about skating. If I die in the game, I die in real life. How long can I survive? Oh, God, I’m going to die in here… _

_ I’m going to die here… alone… _

Yuuri’s head snapped up.  _ No, I’m not alone. Ryoutarou. We can help each other. We’ll survive… somehow… _

Yuuri wiped the tears from his face as he rose to his feet.  _ I just have to find Ryoutarou.  _ He slowly began walking around the square, scanning the crowd for his tall, scruffy friend.  _ I don’t see him anywhere… _

Yuuri chose a side street at random and began running down it. He shouted Ryoutarou’s name as he searched. He sighed in relief when he saw the familiar figure step out of an alley nearby.

Ryoutarou looked at him as said, “Yuuri?” He sighed before continuing, “I was hoping that you hadn’t logged on yet…” 

Yuuri let out a cheerless laugh. “No such luck.”

Ryoutarou scratched the side of his head. “I’m sorry, man. This is all my fault. I talked you into this.” He looked down at his feet. 

Yuuri opened up his menu and sent Ryoutarou a party invite. Ryoutarou looked up, surprised that his shy, anxious friend was taking the initiative. Yuuri said, “It’s not your fault. It is that madman Kayaba that did this to all of us. But if we work together…”

Ryoutarou clicked the accept button on the party invite and said, “We can survive.”

Yuuri noted that Ryoutarou’s character name was Klein.  _ It will take some getting used to, calling him that.  _

Yuuri said, “Klein, let’s go find your friends. The more of us there are, the more likely we are to survive this.”

Klein nodded. “Okay, let’s go.” He stopped for a moment as he noticed Yuuri’s character name. “Niki? Why did you choose that?”

Niki sighed, “I’ll tell you later… maybe…” The two walked back towards the square, in search of Klein’s friends.

They would all fight to survive… together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything in this chapter is original, with the exception of Kayaba's speech. I found a [ website](http://animetranscripts.wikispaces.com/Sword+Art+Online%3E1.+The+World+of+Swords) that had created a transcript of Episode 1, and used it. I only used it for the actual speech itself (I'm not sure if they used the English subtitles or the English audio to create the transcript).
> 
> And I know that Niki is the first four letters of Nikiforov. But I wanted Yuuri to use it as a blending of the two names, like how Kirito is Kirigaya Kazuto blended together.


	3. New Friends and Old Friends

November 6, 2022  
5:00 - Detroit, Michigan

Phichit Chulanont woke to the sound of his phone alarm playing an energetic pop song. He turned off the alarm and sat up on the side of the bed. _After so many years of early morning practice, you would think I would be used to it by now. It was so much easier to get up when Mom would come in and wake me. But she moved back to Thailand when I turned 16._ Phichit sighed as he stood up from the bed and went to the dresser to find workout clothes.

After changing into his workout clothes, Phichit checked his training bag. Satisfied that he had everything he needed for practice and the workout after, he carried the bag into the living room, dropping it by the couch. He then went into the kitchen to make some breakfast.

Phichit turned on the coffee maker and pulled a coffee pod out of the storage unit it sat on. He started the coffee as he rummaged in the fridge for something to eat. He eventually settled on some granola cereal with vanilla yogurt and banana slices mixed in. Seeing that his coffee was ready, Phichit grabbed the cup and his breakfast and sat down at the small kitchen table.

As he ate his breakfast, alternating bites of the granola with sips of the rich, dark coffee he favored, Phichit used his phone to check his social media feed. Despite it being so early, it was blowing up. Everyone was talking about something they were calling the “SAO Incident.”

Phichit clicked on one of the links, trying to figure out what had everyone so riled up. He found a video from one of the major news networks labeled “Latest Details on the SAO Incident”. He clicked on it. The reporter on the video said, “The reports coming in from Japan say that nearly 10,000 people are currently trapped. They are being held against their will in the new Virtual Reality game, Sword Art Online, or SAO for short. We’ve been told that the NerveGear systems will destroy the players’ brains if they are disconnected. The hostage taker has also claimed that if a player dies in the game, the NerveGear system will destroy the player’s brain. The death toll has already reached over 200.”

Phichit went numb, his phone falling from his limp fingers. _People are dying in SAO? Oh, God. Yuuri._ He didn’t even realize that he had started to cry. _What do I do? What CAN I do? Did anyone else know he was going to play SAO? I need to tell someone. Who?_

The only person that Phichit could think of to call was his coach. _Yuuri used to train here. Coach Celestino will know who to call._ He picked up his phone off of the floor and called Celestino, his fingers shaking so badly that he was barely able to press the buttons.

Celestino answered the phone, “Phichit, are you feeling okay? You usually don’t call before morning training.”

Phichit was still crying, making his accent thicker and barely intelligible. He asked, “Coach, have you seen the news? About the people trapped in the game?”

Celestino sighed as he replied, “Yes, it is terrible. But why are you so upset about it?”

Phichit stuttered out, “Yuuri...”

Celestino knew exactly exactly what Phichit was trying to say. “I’ll call his coach and see. Stay put, I’ll be there shortly.”

Phichit choked out, “Okay.”  

***

November 6, 2022  
18:30 - Tokyo

Odagaki Kanako ran up the stairs of Yuuri’s apartment building. The boy hadn’t answered his phone. Ever since Celestino had called her, she couldn’t shake the sick, sinking feeling in her stomach. The call itself had been short, and to the point. He had told her that one of his skaters, a friend of Yuuri’s, thought that Yuuri might be playing that game. She didn’t even have to ask which one. It was all over the news.

_Please, don’t be true..._

Kanako skidded to a stop in front of Yuuri’s door, out of breath. She pounded on his door. There was no response. She tried again, this time yelling his name. Inside the apartment, she could hear Yuuri’s dog barking, but nothing from the boy. Panicking, Kanako reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. Yuuri had given Kanako a copy of his key when he had first started training with her. _He lives alone, and his family is hours away. It is only for emergencies, and I’ve never needed it before. Please, let this just be a misunderstanding…_

She turned the key in the lock and opened the door. The apartment was quiet, with the exception of the dog barking at her feet. Kanako leaned down to greet Vicchan, but he ran from her, looking back to see if she was following. He was leading her to the bedroom.

Kanako followed Vicchan. He had jumped on the bed and was whining as he nudged Yuuri. Kanako saw a copy of Sword Art Online on Yuuri’s desk. Yuuri’s body was laid out on the bed, motionless. His head was covered by a heavy gray helmet. Kanako sank to her knees, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks. Her fears had been confirmed.

_God, no… Yuuri…_

Kanako struggled to pull herself together. She fiercely wiped the tears from her cheeks and cleared her throat. _I don’t have time for this right now. Sitting here in the floor crying won’t help Yuuri in the long run. I need to make sure that he gets the care he needs to survive this._ Kanako took a deep breath as she thought of what needed to be done. _First, I need to call the authorities, so he can be transferred to a hospital. Then, I need to call his family. God, that is going to be a terrible call to make…_

She took a few shaky breaths before pulling out her phone and dialing emergency services. While the phone rang, she tried to steady herself for what was coming. It was going to be a long night.

***

November 6, 2022  
18:45 - Aincrad

It had taken some time for Klein and Niki to find Klein’s friends. Some of them had been together when the announcement was made, and had stayed together afterwards. But there were two that had not been with the others, and it had taken them nearly an hour to find them.

Niki showed the others to a pub he had found during his exploration of the town. They went into the pub to have a round as they assessed the situation. Niki looked at the list of names below his on the party list. _Klein, Dale, Dynamm, Harry One, Issin, and Kunimittz. This is our group. If we stick together, our chances are good. We just need a plan._

Klein said, “We need to start fighting in the fields outside of town. It could be difficult at first, but we all need to become familiar with the battle system. Also, the easier enemies will be scarce, with all the other players trying to hunt them, too.”

Dale spoke up, a slight quiver in his voice, “But if we go out and fight, we could die…”

Klein nodded as he said, “That’s true. But if we don’t fight, we’ll never grow stronger. We’ll never clear the game. It’s okay to be scared; you have to feel fear to become strong. We need to be brave for the players who can’t be, and get everyone home.”

The other men around the table nodded in agreement. They leaned in around the table, using the in-system map to plot out a plan. Suddenly, Niki’s eyes dulled and he went limp. He slid out of his chair, his chin hitting the table with a loud crack that reverberated through the pub. Once on the floor, he lay in a heap, motionless.

The other men jumped up from the table, their chairs crashing to the floor. Other people in the pub did the same as they realized what was happening. Klein shouted as he rushed around the table, “Someone, check his HP! God, did he get unplugged?”

There was a collective gasp in the pub. Klein knelt down next to Niki, and laid him out on his back. Niki’s eyes were open, but lifeless. Klein checked his party list, and saw that Niki’s HP was still full, as it should be. Klein quietly said, “His HP hasn’t gone down, and his avatar hasn’t disappeared. What has happened to him?”

Klein checked for a pulse. _Can we even hear or feel pulses in the game? Huh, I guess we can._ Niki’s pulse was strong, and his breathing seemed regular. _This doesn’t make any sense. There is nothing wrong with him. No conditions are listed under his HP bar. It is like he passed out, but how? Why? What caused this?_

He lifted Niki’s arm and allowed it to fall. It fell lifelessly to the floor with a soft thump. Klein then tried gently patting Niki on the face. There was still no reaction.

Klein leaned over, placing his hands on Niki’s chest. He shook him as he said, “Wake up, Niki. Can you hear me?” A little desperate, he shouted, “Come on, Yuuri! Wake up!” There was no reaction from the limp body on the floor.

Across the room, there was a loud crash. Klein turned to look, as players rushed towards another player that had fallen. The player’s friends were yelling, desperately trying to help. _What is happening to them? Is this part of the game?_

Klein rocked back on his heels and sighed in defeat. “I don’t know what’s happened, or how to help him.”

Dynamm kneeled down next to Klein, looking over at Niki worriedly, “What are we going to do?”

Klein answered, “I guess we wait. We wait, and hope that he wakes. There is nothing else we can do.”

The minutes stretched, feeling like hours, as the men waited to see if Niki would wake from the strange malady that afflicted him. As a group, they looked strained. They felt helpless, knowing that there was nothing that they could do for their friend. Their eyes were glued to the gentle rise and fall of Niki’s chest as he breathed.

It was about 20 minutes after Niki had fallen before his body began to stir. His eyes slowly closed and then reopened. He looked around, confused. “What happened? Why am I on the floor? And why do you all look so worried?”

Klein laughed, relief flooding through him. “We should be asking you what happened. One minute, you were fine, planning with the rest of us. The next, you were out like a light and crumpled on the floor. You don’t know why, do you?”

Niki shook his head. “Not a clue.” He sat up and scratched the back of his head. He smiled weakly as he said, “I’m sorry for worrying everyone.”

Klein made a soft sound of dismissal. “Don’t fret about it. It’s not your fault. We just need to be careful. We don’t know what caused your spell, or if it will reoccur.” He sighed before continuing, “We do know that it is not unique to you. Someone else passed out after you did.”

Klein pointed to the player still passed out on the other side of the room. “We will need to be cautious, until we know what it is that is causing these spells. So, here is the plan. If one of us passes out in the field, it falls to the others to protect him until he wakes. We need to pay attention. A fainting spell could mean disaster in a fight.”

Niki closed his eyes in contemplation. _I was the first of us to have a fainting spell. Will I be the only one? Can I protect the others if it happens to them? What if it happens to me again?_

He opened his eyes as a sudden, terrifying realization hit. _Is this part of Kayaba’s plan? Is this game beatable? Or was that speech in the square just a false hope, meant to make us fight for our lives, just to eventually fail?_ He began to shake uncontrollably as the thought sunk in.

Klein glanced at Niki, and noticed the shaking. “Are you alright, Niki?”

Niki shook his head, “No, but I think I will be. The possibility of these spells being common has me a little shaken up, is all.”

Klein nodded in agreement. “I think we all feel the same way. We’ll just have to do our best to work around them.”

The others nodded their agreement. This was just one more obstacle to overcome.

***

November 6, 2022  
6:30 - Detroit, Michigan

Phichit was curled up on his couch. At some point during the wait, which seemed intolerable to the miserable teen, he had gone to his room and retrieved his hamsters. The three fluffy creatures were currently crawling all over him and the couch. One even dared to crawl up the sleeve of Celestino’s coat, who was sitting on the end of the couch.

Phichit sighed heavily. Celestino glanced at his student and said, “I know. Waiting is the worst part. Coach Odagaki promised to call me back. The fact that it has been over an hour since I called her doesn’t mean anything. Try to stay calm, Phichit. Panicking won’t help anyone, yourself included.”

Phichit nodded as he half-heartedly played with his hamsters. _I need to know. But I’m afraid to know… He’s my best friend, what am I going to do without him?_ The tears that had been hovering just under the surface worked their way back up again.

Celestino shook his head. “You’re already assuming the worst. Try to stay calm…”

Celestino was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. Phichit yelped and jumped slightly as the phone blared the lyrics to _Best Day of My Life_ by American Authors. Phichit glared at his coach as he said, “Really, Coach? That song is _ancient_.”

Celestino replied, “What? I like it.”

He reached for the phone and swiped to answer. He put the phone to his ear and said, “Hello?” He paused before responding. “This is he.”

He listened for a moment, making affirmative noises as the person on the other end talked. He sighed heavily before saying, “I understand. I appreciate your call. Please keep me updated.”

He paused for another moment. “Thank you. Goodbye.” He took the phone from his ear and pressed the end button.

Celestino slowly set the phone back onto the coffee table. He took a deep breath, and nervously cleared his throat. Celestino turned to look at Phichit.

Phichit glanced at the phone, then back at Celestino. He said, “That was his coach, wasn’t it? He’s in there…” His eyes teared up.

Celestino nodded, “I’m sorry. I know you were friends.”

Phichit choked out, “Is he in the hospital now?”

Celestino answered, “Yes, his coach said they just moved him. They’ll be able to keep him comfortable.”

Phichit nodded, “I want to go see him, when we go for the NHK next week.”

Celestino protested, “But he won’t know you were there. From what I understand, the NerveGear blocks all contact to the outside world. It is not like a coma.”

Phichit argued, “But I will know. I just want to see him, to see that he is okay.”

Celestino, reluctantly, responded, “Okay, we’ll go to the hospital. _But_ , not until after the NHK is over. I’ll change our flight to give us an extra day. I don’t want you distracted before the competition.” He paused for a moment before adding, “No practice today. You would just risk injury with your head like it is now. We’ll get back to it tomorrow.”

Phichit nodded, “Ok, Coach.” _I’ll do my best at the NHK, and I’ll win. I’ll win… for Yuuri…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a 13 hour time difference between Tokyo and Detroit.


	4. Holding On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains scenes in the hospital, and the feelings that you get seeing someone like that. There is also an unnamed player death in this chapter. If either of these things will trigger, please don't read.

November 9, 2022  
8:30 - Hasetsu, Japan

Okukawa Minako woke when her phone started to ring. She groaned as she reached for the offending device. _This had better be important…_ She glanced at the phone screen before she swiped to answer it. It read _“Katsuki Hiroko”_. Minako immediately snapped awake as she put the phone to her ear.

She yawned as she answered, “Hiroko, how is he today?”

Hiroko’s voice was strained as she answered, “There’s no change. Right now we’re just waiting. The doctors say that there is nothing we can do for him.”

Minako sighed. “Do they have any idea how long it might be?”

Hiroko’s voice caught a little. “They say there is no way to know at this point. We don’t know what is going on in _that game_ , or how long it might take for them to break free of it. It could be weeks, months, or even years.”

Minako winced as she said, “Oh, Hiroko. I’m so sorry…”

On the other end of the phone, Hiroko broke down in tears. “What am I going to do? I don’t want to leave him, but I can’t stay. The inn… it has already been closed for several days while we came to see him. We can’t stay…”

Minako took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about this. My studio hasn’t been doing well, and the bar is barely in the black. I’ve got a long-standing offer for a teaching position in Tokyo _._ I can move there and look after Yuuri. That way you can come home and run the inn.”

Hiroko was still sobbing as she protested, “But Minako-senpai, I can’t ask you to do that…”

Minako interrupted her, “No, I insist. Yuuri is like a son to me. I would be more than happy to do this for him.”

Hiroko relenting, said, “Alright, if you insist. But you should stay at Yuuri’s apartment. You could look after Vicchan, and you wouldn’t have to find a place.”

Minako replied, “That sounds like a plan. I’ll call my contact in Tokyo and get that job set up.” She paused for a moment before adding, “Don’t worry, Hiroko. I’ll take care of him.”

***

November 11, 2022  
16:30 - Tokyo

The NHK Figure Skating Cup was about to begin. The open practice for the evening’s events was over. This was usually the time when all of the skaters would file off the ice, allowing the members of the first group to have their warm-up before the competition started. But today was different.

Instead of skaters leaving the ice, the skaters that had abstained from the open practice moved to join their fellow competitors on the ice. All of the skaters present for the NHK were on the ice; men, women, pairs, and ice dancers from both the junior and senior divisions. All told, there were over 70 skaters on the ice. It made the large rink look small and crowded.

An announcement came over the speakers, first in English, and then repeated in French and Japanese. “Ladies and gentlemen, we regret to inform you that Katsuki Yuuri, who was scheduled to compete in this weekend’s event, will not be competing. He is part of the SAO Incident, and is currently hospitalized. Please observe a moment of silence for Katsuki and his family.”

The entire stadium was silent for a moment. The skaters on the rink bowed their heads. Some of them, personal friends of Yuuri’s, had tears in their eyes. After a minute of silence, the announcement continued, “Usually, when a competitor cannot compete, the ISU allows for an alternate to take his or her place. Due to the late notice in this case, the ISU has chosen not to replace Katsuki. There will only be five competitors in the Men’s Senior Division competition: Cao Bin of China, Georgi Popovich of Russia, Phichit Chulanont of Thailand, Antonio Fernandez of Spain, and Kyle Johnson of the United States. The competition will begin after the Men’s warm-up.”

Phichit stayed on the ice as most of the other skaters made their way somberly off. He sighed heavily as he scrubbed his arm across his eyes to rid them of tears. _I pulled the fifth spot tonight. That should give me time to recenter myself after that announcement._ Phichit sighed again. _I still can’t believe that this is really happening…_

Phichit took slow laps around the rink, avoiding any jumps. The warm-up ended quickly, and all of the skaters exited the ice, with the exception of Cao Bin. He was up first.

Phichit grabbed his skate guards as he stepped off the ice, snapping them onto his blades. He carefully walked away from the rink, towards the skaters’ waiting area. Several of the skaters from other divisions were still milling around. Phichit noticed two of the Men’s Junior Division skaters talking. They looked up from their conversation when Phichit and the other Senior skaters walked back.

Phichit realized that he recognized one of the boys. _That’s JJ Leroy. He trained with Celestino for a year a while back. I think he is only a year younger than me? He’ll probably move up to the Senior Division next year. Who is that blonde kid with him? He looks miserable. It looks like JJ is dragging the poor kid this way._

JJ walked over to Phichit, pulling the smaller boy along with him. When he reached Phichit, JJ said, “Hi, Phichit. I’m sorry about Yuuri. I know you are friends.” He sighed before adding, “Yuuri was always so nice to everyone. Did you know he helped me with my step sequences? They used to be trash.”

Phichit chuckled slightly before he responded, “I remember. Thanks, JJ.” He looked at the boy next to JJ. “Who is your friend? I don’t think I’ve been at a competition with him before.”

JJ replied, “This is Minami Kenjirou. I noticed earlier that he seemed a little out of place, so I offered to show him around. Minami, this is Phichit Chulanont. Phichit and Yuuri are old friends, from when Yuuri trained in Detroit.”

Phichit said, “Minami, you’re in the junior division, right? How do you know Yuuri?”

Minami replied, “Katsuki-senpai and I have the same coach.”

Phichit winced. _Yuuri taught me a little about Japanese honorifics. If this boy is using senpai with Yuuri’s name, it means that he looks up to him. Poor kid._

Minami continued, “This is my first international competition. I was looking forward to watching Katsuki-senpai compete, and having him cheer me on…” He trailed off as he tried to hide the tremor in his voice.

Phichit said, “I’ll cheer for you. Do your best today.”

Minami nodded, “I have to win. That way I can tell Katsuki-senpai about it when he wakes up.”

Phichit nodded. _That's the spirit. We just have to believe that he will wake up…_

Phichit said, apologetically, “They’ll call for me soon. I need to get ready.”

JJ nodded and said to Minami, “Come on, let's go find a seat in the stands before Phichit’s routine. We need to cheer him on.”

Phichit responded, “Thanks, guys. I’ll cheer for both of you, too. Good luck!”

JJ gave Phichit a thumbs up, and Minami weakly smiled in response. Then, JJ lead Minami towards the stands to watch the competition.

***

A female voice said, “Representing Thailand, Phichit Chulanont.”

The commentator said “This is Chulanont’s debut year in the Senior division. He will be skating to “Holding On.” This music selection is different for the energetic teen. Since his debut in the Junior Division, Chulanont has been known for his jazzy, upbeat routines.”

The second commentator added, “Right you are. This is quite a departure for him. When he was interviewed at the beginning of the Grand Prix series, Chulanont said that his coach chose the piece to show off his graceful forms. He admitted that he was having trouble connecting with the piece. Let’s see how he handles it tonight.”

A hush fell over the crowd as Phichit moved to the center of the ice and struck his opening pose. The music started, slow and soft. He moved slowly and lithely, his face a mask of quiet sadness that matched the music perfectly.

He moved across the ice with fluid grace, picking up speed for his first jump. He landed the triple axel with ease, holding his arm above his head. The crowd went wild.

Phichit moved across the ice, picking up speed for his next jump. He flew off the ice into a triple double toe loop combination. He landed the jumps beautifully.  

The music crescendoed, and Phichit moved into his step routine. The steps resembled a fluid dance, and ended in a beautiful sit spin. He moved out of the spin, into a second step routine. This one ended in a triple flip. Phichit moved on to finish the routine with a flying camel spin, rising at the end. He ended with one arm wrapped around him, the other relaxed at his side, as he looked down at the ice.

As soon as the music stopped, Phichit’s eyes filled with tears.

The first commentator said, “Well, Chulanont has to be pleased with that performance. He is making his way off the ice and to the kiss and cry.”

The other one added, “Chulanont has been joined by his coach. It appears that he is crying.”

The first commentator responded, “That is unusual for Chulanont. I can't recall ever seeing him cry after a performance. Especially one that went as well as this one tonight.”

The other commentator interrupted, “And here is the score for Chulanont… 90.8. He scored a personal best, and is currently in first place…”

***

November 12, 2022  
20:00 - Tokyo

Phichit was nearly in a state of shock. He was standing in the middle, between Kyle Johnson and Cao Bin. He bowed slightly as an official slipped the medal around his neck. It landed solidly against his chest as he straightened. Phichit held the medal away from his chest, allowing the light to glint off the gold medal.

Phichit grinned widely. _I wanted to win, more than I ever have before. I didn’t think I could actually do it. I feel like this is a dream…_

After the cameras stopped flashing, and the music stopped, Phichit made his way back to the locker rooms. Before he could make it, he was spotted by JJ and Minami. They were still dressed in their Free Skate costumes. Their medal ceremony had been right before Phichit’s, and both boys sported medals around their necks. Minami had edged JJ out for the gold.

Minami yelled out, “Phichit, take a picture with me! For Yuuri!” The boy was holding up his phone, ready to take the picture. 

Phichit nodded. _We both worked hard to win gold, because he couldn’t. A picture is a great idea._

Phichit said, “JJ, do you mind taking it for us?”

Minami handed his phone to JJ, and after making sure that JJ knew how to work it, he moved to stand next to Phichit. The boys both held up their medals, and used their other hand to make a victory sign. JJ took several photos.

JJ walked up to Minami and said, “Hopefully one of those will be okay.”

As they were taking the picture, Celestino wandered through, looking for Phichit. He saw the photo on Minami’s phone, and the three boys gathered around it. 

Celestino asked, “Would you boys like a photo with all three of you in it?”

Phichit nodded, “Sure! It would be a great photo for Instagram." 

Minami handed his phone to Celestino. Phichit and Minami resumed the poses they had been in before, this time making room for JJ. JJ didn't hold his medal out; instead he used his hands to make two j’s.

Celestino took a few shots, and handed the phone to Minami. The boys looked at the pictures.

Phichit asked, “JJ, why did you hold your hands like that? I’ve never seen you do that before.”

JJ shrugged, “I was just thinking that it would be cool to have a signature pose. So I thought I would try it out. What do you think?”

Phichit just shrugged. _JJ has always been a little over-the-top. I should be used to it by now._

Minami said quietly, “Phichit, are you going to the hospital? To see Yuuri?”

Phichit nodded, “Celestino said I could go after the exhibition.”

Minami responded, “Coach Odagaki wouldn't let me go before the competition either. I'm going on Monday.” Minami’s eyes were bright. It looked like he would burst into tears at any moment.

Phichit took a deep breath. _I understand why she wouldn’t let him go. It is the same reason Celestino wanted me to wait. He looks so fragile; I think that if he had gone before the competition, it would have broken him._

Suddenly Phichit was struck with an idea. He said, “Do you want to go to the hospital together, Minami?”

Minami smiled weakly as he answered, “Really? You’d be willing to go with me? I didn’t want to go alone. I thought I would have to ask Coach to go…”

Phichit nodded. “Sure. I think it might be better for both of us, rather than going alone. Here, let me see your phone.”

Minami handed his phone to Phichit after he unlocked it. Phichit opened the contacts and made a new one with his number.

Phichit said, “We can text each other to settle the details for Monday. Also, text me those pictures.” He paused for a moment and then added, “And this way, if anything happens, you can text me.”

Minami nodded, “Okay!”

***

November 14, 2022  
10:00 - Tokyo

Minako walked into the hospital room, flipping on the light as she passed. She sighed as she passed by the curtain that shielded the bed from the door. Her eyes were drawn to the figure on the bed. _I saw him last night. Hiroko and I came together, before she left to return to Hasetsu. But… I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing him like this…_

The duffel bag she carried on her shoulder started to wriggle. Despite herself, Minako smiled. “Okay, hold on a second.”

She set the bag gently on the foot of the hospital bed and unzipped it. Vicchan popped his head out of the bag and, seeing Yuuri, bounded over to him. Vicchan settled his head on Yuuri’s stomach, panting happily.

Minako smiled fondly at the scene. _Poor Vicchan. He was wasting away at the apartment. He wasn’t eating; he was just waiting for Yuuri… I had to bring him._ She grimaced slightly. _They will probably kick me out for this, and ban him from the hospital. But today, it was worth it._

Minako moved towards the head of the bed. She pulled a pair of blue-rimmed glasses out of her jacket pocket and gently laid them on the table next to the bed. “Yuuri, I brought your glasses. I thought you would need them when you wake up. Also, Vicchan missed you. I brought him to visit.”

She heard a gentle knock on the door. A female voice said softly, “Pardon the intrusion. I’m here to check his vitals.”

Minako sighed. _Busted…_

A young nurse came around the corner. She sighed in exasperation when she noticed the dog laying on the bed. Not losing her composure, she said, “Good morning, I’m Nakamura Ritsuko, and I’ll be one of the nurses caring for Katsuki-san.”

Minako responded, “I’m Okukawa Minako. I’m an old friend of his family’s.”

Ritsuko asked gently. “Okukawa-san, why is there a dog on the bed? There are no animals allowed in the hospital.”

Minako sighed, “I know, Nakamura-san. I’m sorry, but the poor thing was wasting away without him. I’ll take Vicchan home…”

Ritsuko interrupted her, “No, I think it will be okay for him to stay. He seems pretty calm, and he is so cute.” She walked up to the bed and scratched Vicchan lightly between the ears. Vicchan wagged his tail and whined softly. She continued, “Also, there are only other SAO patients on this wing, so no one should complain.”

Minako smiled, “Thank you, Nakamura-san.”

Ritsuko continued, “I was just looking over his chart. I see that the family has given you permission to make decisions concerning Katsuki-san’s care?”

Minako nodded as she said, “We decided that since I will be staying in Tokyo, and they are hours away in Hasetsu, that it would be for the best.”

Minako paused for a moment before adding, “I would like to speak with you or a supervisor about restricting his visitors. Yuuri is the top Men’s figure skater in Japan, and is ranked internationally. When the press, and his fans, find out he is here…”

Ritsuko nodded in understanding, “Yes, that would be a problem. So who would you like to be allowed in?”

Minako answered, “His family, friends, rink mates, and fellow competitors. I’ll make a list and have it for you tomorrow. If they are not on the list, please turn them away. The family would appreciate your assistance in this matter.”

Ritsuko waved a hand in dismissal. “Think nothing of it.”

While they had been talking, Ritsuko had checked the readouts on the machines, and the IV bags next to Yuuri’s bed. Satisfied that all was as it should be, Ritsuko turned towards Minako and said, “His vital signs are good. If you’ll excuse me?”

Minako nodded. “Yes, of course. Thank you.”

***

November 14, 2022  
13:00 - Tokyo

Phichit and Minami walked down the hallway of the hospital. Unlike the other areas that they had passed through, this wing of the hospital was eerily quiet. No tvs were playing, there was no music from any of the rooms, and very little conversation could be heard. The beeping and the whirring of machines was the only sound from most rooms.

Minami quietly asked, “Do you think that this whole wing is like Katsuki-senpai?”

Phichit nodded slowly, “I think so. It is almost creepy how quiet it is.”

Minami nodded in agreement. They continued down the hall in silence, as if they were afraid to break the oppressively still atmosphere. The instructions they were given for Yuuri’s room were to continue down this hall to the end. Phichit sighed.

The nurses’ station was visible just ahead of them. Suddenly, the quiet was shattered by a sudden loud whirring noise. That was followed by a loud crackling noise, like something received a nasty electrical shock. Both boys yelped in surprise and stopped dead in their tracks.

Minami turned towards Phichit and hesitantly asked, “What was that?”

Phichit answered honestly, “I don’t know, but it didn’t sound good…”

A nurse ran into one of the rooms, only to quickly return to the nurses’ station. She sadly announced to the other nurses, “The patient in room 415 is dead. The NerveGear destroyed his brain…”

Minami’s face went white with shock. His eyes began to tear up. Phichit grabbed Minami by the shoulders and asked, in confusion, “Minami, what’s going on? Come on, I don’t speak Japanese. Tell me, what happened?” He shook Minami, trying to break him of his stupor.

Minami managed to pull it together enough to stammer out, “One of the players died…”

Phichit’s shoulders sagged, his hands still on Minami’s shoulders. He dropped his gaze as he mumbled out, “Yuuri…?”

Minami shook his head vehemently, only then realizing what Phichit must think. “No!” He took a deep breath, struggling to control the tears trying to fall from his eyes. “No, it was a different room number. But still…”

Phichit let go of Minami’s shoulders and scrubbed his arm across his eyes. “Yes, I know. It is a bit of a shock. It is one thing to hear about it on the news. But it is completely different to see it for yourself.”

Minami nodded sadly. “Do you think he can survive this?”

Phichit gently placed his hand on Minami’s back and guided him the rest of the way to Yuuri’s room, room 425. Phichit sighed. _Do I think he can? I have to. I have to hold on to the belief that Yuuri will survive the game and come back to us. Otherwise…_

Phichit stopped outside the door and nodded to Minami. “Yes, I think he can. And you should, too. Yuuri is stronger than most people give him credit for.”

Minami nodded. “Okay…”

Phichit gestured towards the partially open door. “Are you ready?”

Minami nodded and knocked gently on the door. Not really expecting a response, he still politely said, in Japanese, “Pardon the intrusion…”

A female voice inside the room asked, “Who is it?”

Minami stepped into the room to see a woman blocking the way to the hospital bed. The pale blue curtain blocked any view of the bed and its occupant. Phichit followed close behind them, both stopping just inside the door.

Minami said, “I’m Minami Kenjirou, one of Katsuki-senpai’s rink mates.” He gestured towards Phichit as he added, “This is Phichit Chulanont, a friend of his from when he trained in Detroit. He doesn’t speak Japanese, so if you are comfortable speaking in English...?”

The woman nodded as she responded, in English, “Yes, of course. I’m Okukawa Minako, Yuuri’s ballet instructor and a friend of the Katsuki family. I’ve heard a lot about you, Phichit. It is nice to meet you.” She sighed. “I wish it was under better circumstances.”

Phichit responded, “Yuuri talked about you often. It is nice to put a face with the name.”

Minako looked over the two boys in front of her. _They both look tired, and strained. And… has the younger boy been crying? They must be so worried… _ Minako’s face softened. She walked towards the boys and enveloped them both in a hug.

Minami was the first to break. The tears came easily, as he voiced his fears. “One of the other players… died… as we came in. What if…?”

Minako’s eyes widened in shock. _No wonder he looked so upset_. She tightened her hold on the boys. They returned the comforting embrace. Then she heard sniffling from the other side as Phichit lost his composure.

He stammered out, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I knew… He told me he was going to… But I didn’t think… I would never have thought…”

Minako closed her eyes slowly and sighed heavily. _He was the one. The one that Yuuri told of his intentions to play SAO. Is he blaming himself for not talking Yuuri out of it?_

Minako rubbed her hands in circles on the boys’ backs, while making soft shushing noises. She softly said, “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know. No one did. Don’t blame yourself. It’s going to be okay…”

She held the boys until their sobbing slowed to sniffles. Then, slowly, she let go, rubbing her hand across her eyes to wipe away her own tears. The boys were a mess. _But somehow, it looks like that, maybe, they’ll be okay now._

She asked, “Are you ready to see him?” The boys nodded.

Minako walked back past the curtain, motioning for the boys to follow her. Phichit hissed in a breath as his eyes fell onto the figure on the bed. Yuuri’s body lay motionless in the bed, with sensors on his chest and IV’s running out of his arm. On his head was the NerveGear. Phichit could feel his eyes tearing up again. _It’s worse than I thought, than I could have imagined. Maybe I shouldn’t have come…_

Phichit shook his head. _No! He is my best friend. I needed to come. I needed to see this, with my own eyes…_

The sound of soft crying reached Phichit’s ears. He turned to see that Minami had covered his face with his hands. Phichit sighed and thought, _I think we need to leave soon. This is too much…_

Phichit moved to the head of the bed, next to the bedside table. He reached into the duffel bag slung over his shoulder, pulling out a picture frame and a note. In the frame was the picture of Phichit and Minami from that past weekend with their gold medals. The note was written in English, and said, “ _Yuuri, we won the NHK for you!_ ”

Phichit placed the note on top of the bedside table, beside Yuuri’s glasses. Then he set the picture on the note. He sighed deeply before he said, “Yuuri, hang in there. You still need to tell me all about it when you get out. And I’ll be ready to tell you about everything that happens here while you’re gone…”  

He took a steadying breath before continuing, “I think we’d better go. Seeing you like this, it’s hard. Especially for Minami. He looks up to you. Did you know that, Yuuri? I… don’t know when I’ll be able to come back. But I promise you this. When you wake up, no matter where in the world I am, I will drop everything. I’ll be here.”

Phichit’s hand gently rubbed Vicchan on the head. “Vicchan, watch over Yuuri for me.” He sighed as he turned away.

Respectfully, Phichit said, “Okukawa-san, thank you for allowing us to see Yuuri.”

Minako shook her head. “No, please feel free to come whenever you can.”

Phichit nodded his thanks. He moved over to the other side of the bed to stand behind Minami. Phichit gently put his hands on Minami’s shoulders and said, “Minami, I think it is time for us to go. Come on…”

He gently steered the still crying boy out of the room and back down the long hallway. Phichit made soft reassuring noises and rubbed Minami’s back in what he hoped was a comforting manner. They made their way to the elevator, riding it down to the hospital lobby.

Phichit thought as they made their way out of the hospital, _Yuuri, hold on. Don’t let this be the last time that I ever see you. There is still too much for you to do. And… I need my best friend…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Phichit skates to is "Holding On" by the Piano Guys. Here is a [ link ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNzkXaaVR6o) to it on YouTube. It is not a video, but you can hear the piece this way. It is off their newest album.
> 
> I know that this chapter is a little bit longer than the others, and it is emotional, but this way we'll be back in Aincrad for the next chapter.


	5. Lost and Found

December 22, 2022  
23:00 - Aincrad, 2nd Floor, the town of Urbus 

Klein sat on the edge of the bed, his feet flat on the floor. This inn’s rooms were made for single occupancy, which was normal for most of the inns in Aincrad. _ It is nice to have some time alone.  _ He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.  _ But I am glad that I have friends with me. It has made all of this so much easier. I don’t know if I could survive this alone.  _

Klein sighed.  _ But, if I was alone, that would mean that I could have gone with Kirito on the first day. I would be part of the Clearers now. My friends wouldn’t be in danger every day. They would still be in the real world.  _

Klein chuckled, a humorless sound.  _ Who am I kidding? They would have still played SAO, with or without me. At least this way, we can look out for each other. But...Yuuri... _

Klein moaned as he buried his face in his hands. _ Yuuri would have never played alone. It is all my fault. If something were to happen to him… It would be all my fault.  _

Before his thoughts could spiral any further, they were interrupted by the pinging of an incoming message. Klein brought his face up.  _ Who could be messaging me? If it was one of my friends, they would just knock on the door. All of our rooms are on the same floor. _

Klein swiped open the menu and found the message button. _I’ve not really received many messages yet. For the most part we’ve all been together…_  

Klein found the new message on the top of the list. He started slightly when he saw who had sent it.  _ Kirito… So he’s still alive… I had wondered. We only interacted that one time. I wonder why he’s messaging me now? _

Curious, he clicked on the message. A box with the message’s text appeared in front of his face. It read: 

> _ Hey,  _
> 
> _ We defeated the boss on the 3rd floor yesterday, and came across some interesting information. On the 3rd floor there is a series of quests you can complete in order to form a guild. Since you ran a guild in your last game, I thought you might be interested. If you are, let me know and I'll send you the quest details.  _
> 
> _ I look forward to seeing your guild on the front lines. _
> 
> _\- Kirito_  

Klein thought for a moment before hitting the reply button and typing out a response:   

> _ Kirito,  _
> 
> _ My party and I are currently leveling on the 2nd floor. I want all of us to be at level 8 before we go up to the 3rd floor. _
> 
> _ I am definitely interested in the guild quests, please send me the details. After we complete the quests and form our guild, you are welcome to join if you would like. _
> 
> _ We are working hard to catch up with the Clearers. Watch for us; we’ll be there before you know it.  _
> 
> _ \- Klein  _

Klein sat back on the bed.  _ I can’t wait to tell the guys.  _ He sighed.  _ But it is late. Hopefully they are all asleep. It will wait until morning… _

***

December 24, 2022  
14:00 - Aincrad, 3rd Floor

The 3rd Floor of Aincrad was a forest. Not like the smaller forests on the floors below. The entire floor was one giant forest. The trees were so thick that it blocked the light, causing a majority of the floor to be cast in a gloomy half-light, even at noon. The stark difference between the open spaces of the 2nd floor’s wide savannah and the gloomy ancient forests of the 3rd floor was a hard adjustment for many players. 

Zumfut was the gate town on the 3rd Floor, but was vastly different from any other town that they had encountered thus far. Instead of being made up of buildings, or being carved out of rock like some villages on the 2nd floor, it was instead a gathering of three gigantic baobab trees. Each one was over 30 meters wide and 70 meters tall, and had been hollowed out into multi-floored buildings. The trees formed a triangle, with the warp gate in the center.  

Klein and his party stepped out of the warp gate. They looked around in awe. The giant trees dwarfed them; making them feel small and insignificant. The air was humid and cool. It smelled distinctly of wet vegetation and the sickly-sweet smell of rot. Niki gagged on the smell. 

His face turning a distressing color of green, Niki almost begged, “Can we find someplace to go inside? And hopefully get away from this smell? Please?” 

Klein nodded, “That is a good idea. We can get something to eat and plan our next move.” He pointed to one of the trees. “It appears that tree has the pub and the inn, maybe we should arrange for lodging too?” 

Niki turned even greener at the mention of food, but nodded enthusiastically. _This smell, I don’t know how I can stand it. We’ll have to be on this floor for a while. There are several quests we have to complete, in order to form our guild._ Niki sighed. _At least the music isn’t bad. That stuff on the last floor was driving me crazy!_  

Most of the other players never even noticed the music that played in the background of Aincrad. It was a continuous noise, and as such they tuned it out. Niki was not so fortunate. He was acutely aware of the music. The music on the previous floor had been melancholic, and dominated by the oboe. By contrast, the music on this floor was Celtic-influenced, and dominated by the flute and penny whistle. It gave the floor an ethereal feel. 

_ Maybe I can finally get some sleep on this floor, if I can ever get accustomed to the smell.  _ Niki followed the others as they walked from the warp gate. Klein headed towards one of the giant trees. Each of the trees had signs nailed to the front, near the carved-out doors. The tree that Klein was approaching had an inn and pub sign nailed to it. Klein pushed open the door, entered, and then held the door for his friends. 

At this time of day, when most players were out in the field leveling, the pub was nearly empty. They quickly found a table away from the door, and settled around it. A server NPC took their order, and left to get their food and drink. 

As they waited for the server to return, Klein looked around at his fellow party members. _Almost there. We are almost a guild. If what Kirito told me is true…_  

***

December 25th, 2022  
10:00 - Aincrad, 3rd Floor

It was their first full day on the third floor. Today they planned to trigger and complete the first of a series of three quests that would allow them to create their guild. Yesterday, they had come up with an overall plan. They would try to complete one quest a day, in the morning. Then they would use the afternoon to fight monsters in the field. Niki closed his eyes.  _ If we ever want to catch up with the Clearers, and be part of them, we have to level up. Most of the Clearers are already level 12. We’re only at level 8.  _ He clenched his fist.  _ We WILL catch up with them… _

The first quest, according to Klein’s friend, was an escort quest. There was an NPC in Zumfut named Killian. It was a young elf, who would ask the players to escort him back to his home deep in the forest. They needed the quest reward to continue forward to the second quest.

Klein addressed the other members of his party, “Okay. According to Kirito, we should be able to find this NPC Killian hanging around near the warp gate. We just need to look for a dark-headed NPC with a quest marker.”

Klein took a deep breath. “I know that escort quests can be a pain. But there is no way around it this time. We will have to work together to defeat monsters and protect the NPC. However, remember that NPC’s will respawn if they are killed. Let’s try to get this quest done the first time, but if it is between the NPC and any of us, let the NPC die.”

The others all had serious expressions on their faces as they nodded in agreement. 

Klein scanned the faces of his comrades.  _ Good. I think we’re ready to do this.  _ He nodded to the party and asked, “Is everyone ready to go?”

The others nodded again. Klein turned away and started towards the door. The others followed suit. Once outside, Niki took a tentative breath.  _ The smell doesn’t seem to be as bad today. Am I getting accustomed to it? God, I hope so. It was unbearable yesterday… _

All of the players began to scan the warp plaza for the NPC. Then, Niki saw him.  _ Oh, he is just a kid… _ It was a very small dark-headed elf. He was sitting on the ground, crying. Niki pointed to the small figure and said, “I think that is probably our NPC.”

Klein nodded. “It seems that way.” He indicated the quest marker above the NPC’s head. “Damn, he told me that the NPC was young. He didn’t tell me it was a kid…” He sighed before continuing. “Well, let’s go start the quest.”

Niki nodded. He was already moving towards the boy. When he reached him, Niki knelt down in front of him and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The boy looked up, his dark eyes full of tears. “I...I ran away from home. But now… I just want to go back. But the woods are scary and full of monsters…” The boy started tearing up again.

Niki smiled warmly as he asked, “Would you like us to take you home?”

The boy asked, “You wouldn’t mind? That would be great…”

Niki shook his head. “No, we’d be happy to help you get home. Just tell us the way.”

The boy smiled as he said, “Thank you! I didn’t know what I was going to do…”

A dialog box appeared in front of Klein, as the party leader. It read, “ _ Accept quest: Lost and Found?” _ Klein hit the accept button. The quest indicator above the boy’s head changed from a “?” to an “!”, indicating that the quest was officially underway. The boy sniffled one last time before pointing to the south.

The boy shakily said, “My home is the Dark Elves’ Camp. It is southwest of here. It will take most of the day to get there…”

***

They had been walking for about an hour. Klein had decided that a circle formation would be the best plan, putting Killian in the center. Klein and Dynamm had taken point, with Niki and Issin taking position closest to the NPC. Klein thought that they would be better equipped to protect him with the longer reach of the spears they used. Dale, Harry One, and Kunimittz were guarding the flank. 

So far, they had not encountered any monsters. They were still fairly close to town, so the other players kept the monsters in check. But they were still on guard. They couldn't afford to relax while they were outside of the safe zones. Too many had died that way.

The path they were following appeared to be well-travelled. Niki thought,  _ I’m sure that Killian’s clan travel to Zumfut often. It makes sense, if they needed anything from the players they would have to go there. Sometimes it is hard to remember that this is all a game, that someone programmed this whole thing. That everything we see, touch, experience in this world is just code that someone wrote… _

A rustling sound came from the underbrush off to the left of the path. Niki snapped out of his contemplation and raised his spear into a defensive position. He widened his stance for more stability as Klein yelled out, “Get ready, everyone!”

Niki could now hear snarling coming from the bushes near the path.  _ What in the world…? _ Then a large, grey body burst forth from the brush. Niki yelled out, “Wolves!”

Several of the large canine creatures followed the bulky leader wolf. NIki thrust his spear at the first one that came within his range. The spear’s path glowed, showing that he had completed a skill successfully. The wolf yelped in pain, and there was a large red pixilated gash on his side. Niki grinned as he noticed that its HP was down nearly a third from his one attack. 

Around him were the sounds of battle. NIki concentrated on the enemy in front of him, and trusted his friends to protect his back. The wolf feinted to the right, turning to the left at the last possible second. Niki used his spear’s length to score the flank of the wolf before it could escape. Now its HP was down to less than half.  _ One more hit should do it… _

The wolf attempted to close in once again. Niki was ready for it.  _ It will probably come straight on, depending on its speed to protect it.  _ Niki pulled back his spear, waiting for the wolf to get close. When it got within range, he thrust his spear forward with all of his might. The spear glowed blue as he hit the creature, causing major damage. It shattered into multicolored pixels. Niki was frozen for a moment after using his powerful ‘Thrust’ skill.

He listened to the battle around him as he waited for his cooldown time to be up. Things sounded like they were going well. There were still several wolves left, but Niki heard the telltale sound of pixels breaking behind him.  _ One more down… _

Then, just as his cooldown ended, Niki heard a cry of pain from behind him. Niki turned to see that a wolf had latched onto Killian’s shoulder, and the boy’s HP was dropping quickly. NIki didn’t even stop to think. He ran.

_ The distance is too far, I’m not going to make it in time… _ Niki kicked off from the ground, jumping as high and as far as he could. He spun into the jump, using the spin to pick up more momentum. Then, at the height of his jump, NIki pulled out of the spin and raised his spear. He was in line to hit the wolf.  _ Carefully, don’t hit the boy… _

His spear glowed blue as he came into contact with the wolf. Between the force of his ‘Thrust’ skill and the momentum from his jump, Niki was able to force the wolf off of Killian. The wolf yelped in pain as it turned from Killian to face Niki. 

Niki was frozen after using his skill, leaving him wide open to the wolf’s attack. It rushed at Niki and bit him on the arm. Once he could move, Niki tried to shake the wolf off, to no avail.  _ What do I do? My spear is too long to get him like this. Everyone else is fighting too. My HP is dropping quickly… Don't panic. Think. Think! _

In desperation, Niki took one hand and punched the wolf in the nose as hard as he could. The wolf, stunned, let go of Niki’s arm and backed away. Niki dared a glance at his arm. It was jarring to see the red pixelated wounds there. He checked his HP; it was down by a third. So was the wolf’s.

Niki’s breath was ragged from exertion. He readjusted the spear in his hands. The wolf was warily circling him.  _ This one seems smarter than the first one. He seems bigger too. Is he the leader? _ Niki braced himself and waited for the wolf to attack.

While the wolf was concentrating on Niki, the rest of the battle was winding down. Klein had easily dispatched two wolves, and was now sneaking up on the leader wolf. He held a finger up to his mouth and Niki nodded slightly in understanding.  _ If the wolf’s attention is on me, he won't notice Klein’s approach. I'm the decoy… _

Klein slowly got into range of the wolf. His sword glowed red as he pulled it back. At the last moment, Klein let out a yell as he released the sword skill. The wolf turned, but it was too late to avoid the attack. Niki took advantage of it’s distraction to rush towards it. He pulled back his spear, releasing ‘Thrust’ once again when he was in range. The wolf shattered into pixels.

As he waited for his cooldown to end, Niki listened. The sounds of battle had ceased. A dialog box appeared in front of him: “ _ Battle Won.”  _  There were some minor rewards from the battle, a little Cor and some wolf hides. He dismissed the box.

Klein walked up to Niki, looking at the wound on Niki’s arm. Klein asked, “Are you okay?”

Niki nodded as he absently rubbed at the wound. “It’s not like it hurts or anything. No pain, remember? It just scared me a little.” He chuckled slightly. “Who knew that learning the martial arts skill would have come in handy in such an important way? Allowing me to punch it in the nose.”

Klein sighed in relief. He took a moment to assess the rest of his party. All of them had lost some HP, but not as much as Niki. The NPC’s HP was also down to nearly half.  _ We need to recover before we move on _ . 

Klein sighed as he said, “Let’s rest here for a minute, and allow everyone's HP to regenerate. Stay on guard, we don't know if there are more wolves waiting out there.”

The others nodded as they took a seat on the ground. Issin stayed standing with Klein, guarding the others as they rested. When all of their HP bars were full, they would move on.

***

What little light there was to be seen in the thick, gloomy forest was fading as they made their way wearily through the gates of the Dark Elves’ Camp. They kept the formation that they had been in all day. The party members were still in a loose circle with Killian protected in its center. 

Even in battles earlier in the day, at least two party members had stayed next to the boy after the near disaster during the first battle. It had been rough, and he had taken a few hits despite this precaution. But they had made it. 

As they arrived in the camp, a woman’s voice yelled out. “Killian!”

The boy pushed his way past Klein and Dynamm. He ran towards the woman, shouting, “Mama! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have run away…”

The woman opened her arms wide, allowing the boy to fall into her embrace. She held him tightly as she said, “It is okay now. Just don’t do it again…”

Killian looked up at his mother and said, “These people helped me get home, Mama.”

The woman looked up at a stern-looking man. The man looked at her and nodded. He approached Klein and said, “Thank you for seeing my son safely home. We are in your debt. Allow us to shelter you for the night. Also, please accept this token of my appreciation.”

The man held out a small red stone. The man continued, “It doesn’t look like much. But if you take it to Vincent, the hermit that lives to the east of here, he will cut it for you. Probably.”

Klein nodded and said, “Thank you for your offer of hospitality. We will be happy to stay with you. It was our pleasure to bring Killian home.”

Klein held out his hand and the man placed the red stone in his palm. A dialog box appeared in front of Klein. It read,  _ “Lost and Found: Quest Complete. Quest reward item ‘uncut gem’ received.” _ Klein touched the ok button, and the red stone disappeared from his hand, into his inventory.

Klein turned towards the rest of the party. “Alright! One down, two to go. We can do this, guys.”

The others nodded in agreement. Then, Killian’s father lead them to a large tent with multiple futons laid out for guests. It had been a grueling day. They had walked over half of the floor, fighting monsters as they went. Everyone was mentally and physically exhausted. They would spend the night here, so that they would be ready for the second quest the next day.


	6. Working Together

December 26th, 2022  
9:00 - Aincrad, 3rd Floor

The late morning sun was peeking its way through the partly open tent flap. The birds outside were singing, a beautiful counter melody to the floor music. The Dark Elf Camp was bustling with activity, as the NPCs went about their daily tasks. Niki sat on his futon, trying to hide his irritation. The rest of the party was still asleep.

Niki sighed.  _ Why are all of Klein’s friends such late sleepers?  _ He scoffed.  _ I guess I should put Klein in that group as well. In the real world, I would have already been up for hours, to get some practice in before my first lecture.  _ He caught himself tearing up a little at the thought. He dashed the tears from his face.  _ God, I miss the ice… _

He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them.  _ It’s odd. I miss my family, but it is like a dull ache. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. But, I am used to being away from them. First in Detroit, and then when I moved to Tokyo.  _ A few more tears fell from his eyes.  _ I miss Vicchan. I hope he is okay. I wonder who is taking care of him? Did they take him home to Hasetsu? _

Niki rubbed the tears from his face.  _ We’ve been stuck here for nearly two months now. It is scary how quickly I’ve adjusted to all of it.  _ Niki smirked slightly.  _ I’m not even that scared anymore. The first few days out in the field, I was shaking like a leaf. I feel more capable now.  _

His head snapped up as he thought, _Now, that doesn’t mean that you can be careless, Katsuki Yuuri. A moment of rashness could very well spell disaster here. I need to be careful, so that I can eventually get home…_  

One of the other players moaned. Niki turned to see that Klein was starting to wake. Niki clicked his tongue. _Finally. I was starting to think that they were all going to sleep all day._  

Klein groaned as he slowly sat up. He scratched the top of his head with one hand as he rubbed his eyes with the other. He looked around, still half asleep, until his eyes focused on Niki sitting there, fully awake. He mumbled, “Niki? How long have you been awake?”

Niki said softly, “Since around 6 or so.” 

Klein whistled. “Man, I’m sorry. The rest of us aren’t that good about getting up early if we don’t have to. And most quests can be performed at any time, day or night. So there isn’t a lot of incentive for us to get up.” He sighed before asking, “Have you been sleeping very much at all since…”

Niki shook his head. Klein didn’t have to finish the statement.  _ Have I been sleeping much since we got stuck in this game of death? No, I haven’t. My anxiety won’t let me… _

Klein’s eyes softened in sympathy.  _ He’s up before any of the rest of us, usually by several hours. The rest of us are getting a solid 7 to 8 hours of rest a night. I bet he is lucky to get 4 or 5. Is he really okay? _

Niki glared at Klein. “Stop worrying about me so much. I’ll be okay. I just need more time to get used to all of this.” Niki sighed. “Worry about yourself too. We all need to get out of this.”

Eager to change the subject, Niki asked, “So, what do we have to do for the second quest?”

Klein responded, “According to the information that Kirito sent me, the next quest is a timed quest. I think we are going to be removing some kind of vermin for that NPC, Vincent, that was mentioned yesterday.”

Niki asked, “How many of us get to participate?”   


Klein scratched his chin in thought. “I think he said four? Let me check…” Klein opened up his menu and pulled up the message that Kirito had sent him with the quest details. “Yes, looks like we can have four people for this quest. “

Niki sighed.  _ So who is he going to pick for the quest? He should probably choose three of the others. I’m still not that good at this.  _ He asked, “Who are you going to pick?”

Klein shook his head. “I’ve been thinking about this for the last several days, since I found out about this quest. I’m going to give it a go, of course. Dynamm is a good choice, so he will definitely be part of the quest party. Kunimittz, I think, would be a good choice to round out the party. After all, we probably want to limit ourselves to one spearman for this, since your attacks are not quite as quick as a swordsman.”

Niki started. “Wait, does that mean that you want me to participate in this quest? I thought for sure that you would pick one of the others, since they have more experience…”   


Klein interrupted him. “More experience? None of us have ever played a game like this. And as far as moving our bodies like we have to here, you HAVE the most experience. You’re a professional athlete, Niki.”

Niki nodded.  _ He’s right. I guess I just forget sometimes that this full dive thing is new to all of us. And at least my brain knows how my body can move. Maybe I do have an advantage over the others… _

Klein asked, “So, should we wake the others and get started?”

Niki shrugged as he stood. “I think they have slept in enough for one day…”

***

December 26th, 2022  
11:00 - Aincrad, 3rd Floor 

The NPC that triggered the second quest lived deep in the forest. The elves that lived in the camp said that Vincent was a strange man, a hermit. He chose to live far away from the rest of the elves, and away from the conflict between the Dark Elves and the Forest Elves. He was a well-known healer and giver of wisdom, and his advice was often sought by both sides. 

There was a well-traveled footpath from the Dark Elves’ Camp to Vincent’s clearing. Klein and the party followed the path, on alert for monsters as they traversed further into the dark forest. Mottled light made its way through the trees, casting strange shadows around them. 

Niki’s nerves were so strained that it felt like he might break.  _ It makes me feel jumpy. I see a strange shape, a strange shadow, and I am sure that it is another monster lurking in the trees.  _ He glanced around at the rest of the party. Their faces showed signs of strain, and their knuckles were white from gripping their weapons too tightly.  _ It seems like I’m not the only one that feels this way. We’re all on edge.  _ Niki shook his head slightly.  _ It is not a bad thing. Hopefully it will keep us all alive… _

Niki’s thoughts were interrupted as they came around a curve in the path. Before them was a cozy looking hut. There was smoke coming from the chimney, and an elf was sitting in a chair outside the front door. His face showed a look of intense concentration, as if he was contemplating an unsolvable puzzle. There was a “?” icon above his head, indicating that he was a quest NPC.

Klein approached the NPC and asked, “Excuse me, are you Vincent?”

The NPC looked up, blinking a few times as he collected himself. His eyes focused on the men in front of him as he responded, “Yes, I am Vincent. What brings you and your companions to my humble abode on this fine morn?”

Klein opened his menu and searched for the item given to him the day before. He clicked on the item’s name and the small red stone appeared in his hand. He approached Vincent and said, “We were told that you could cut this stone for us?”

Vincent picked up the stone out of Klein’s hand and held it up to the light. “Yes, this stone is of excellent quality. I shall cut it, if you lads will kindly grant my request?”

Klein asked, “What is it you want us to do?”  _ I already know what the quest is, but we have to ask. The NPC’s have a script that they have to follow, or the quest won’t trigger. _

Vincent replied, “It seems that some coypu have decided that my vegetables are the perfect food. They have been running amok and devastating my garden. If this continues, I will have nothing left to sustain myself. I cannot seem to catch them, or run them off. Dispose of them for me, and I will cut this stone for you.”

Klein nodded. A dialog box appeared in front of him. It read, “ _ Defeat 100 coypu in 20 minutes. Accept quest: Coypu Conquest?”  _ Klein clicked the accept button. Another dialog box appeared. It read,  _ “There is a four person party limit for this quest. Please choose 3 party members to leave the party.” _ The names of his party members appeared in the box. Klein clicked on Dale, Issin, and Harry One, removing them from the party. 

Klein looked at Dynamm, Kunimittz, and Niki. “Everyone ready? The time starts as soon as the first one of us steps into the clearing.” 

The others nodded. Klein lead them into the field, a look of pure determination on his face. 

***

Twenty Minutes Later

Niki was doubled over, his hands on his knees, as he gasped for breath. His spear lay on the ground next to him as he fought to control his breathing.  _ From the sound of it, the others are as bad off as I am, or worse. They're not used to running around for twenty minutes straight. And I’m getting out of shape. We just barely got that last one in time… _

…  _ But somehow we managed to pull it off… _

There had been 1 minute left on the clock, and the counter said that there was one final coypu to kill. Frantically, the four men ran through the clearing, eyes open for the creature. There was only seconds left when Niki spotted it. He thrust out with his spear, barely hitting the creature before the timer reached zero.

Across the clearing, Klein called out, “We did it. Let’s go back to the NPC and collect our reward. We’re one step closer, guys.”

Niki reached down for his spear before straightening up. He followed the others out of the clearing and back towards the hut. Niki could see that the NPC was waiting, along with the other members of their party. 

Niki, Kunimittz, and Dynamm moved to stand next to the others while Klein approached Vincent. 

Vincent said, “It appears that all of the coypu have been removed from my fields. You have my thanks.” He paused for a moment as he pulled a small object out of his pocket. “I was able to cut the stone for you as you worked.”

Klein said, “Thank you.”

Klein held out his hand, allowing Vincent to set the stone in his palm. The stone, which had been an irregular shape before, was now an oval shape. Klein thought,  _ It looks like it was cut in a jewelry store, instead of a hut in the middle of the woods.  _

Vincent continued, “If you wish to have the stone set, there is a jeweler in the Dark Elves Camp. Her name is Arlena. She is the most talented setter of stones that I know.”

Klein nodded. A dialog box appeared in front of him. It read,  _ “Coypu Conquest: Quest Complete. Quest reward item ‘oval cut gem’ received.” _  He hit the accept button, and the stone disappeared from his hand, moving into his inventory. Klein turned towards his friends, a huge smile on his face. 

Klein said, “One more quest and we’ll be able to start our guild.” He shook his head slightly. “I know we’re all excited, but let’s stick to our plan. It’s still early, so let’s go level in the forest. We’ll spend the night in the Dark Elves’ Camp again. In the morning, we’ll start the final quest.”

***

December 27th, 2022  
10:00 - Aincrad, 3rd Floor

Niki clicked on his armor in his item list, his last step to get ready for the day. As he hit the equip button, the armor appeared on his body nearly instantaneously. He sighed as the familiar weight settled over him.  _ I feel safer with it on. It makes me nervous to walk around without any armor on, even in safe zones. _

He glanced around the tent and saw that the others were also choosing their equipment for the day. Most of them were stifling yawns behind their hands. Once again, they had not woken until roused, only a few minutes ago. Niki sighed.  _ I wish that I could sleep that late, too. It would be so much better than always having to wait around for them to wake up and get ready to go.  _

Dale was the last one to have armor materialize on his body. He shifted in the armor, trying to get it settled correctly. Niki thought,  _ We’re finally ready to go. All we have to do now is find this Arlena and trigger the final quest. _

Last night, before calling it a night, Klein had explained the final quest. It was a fetch quest. They would be sent after an item that the jewelsmith needed to complete their item. To obtain it, they would be entering a cave system. The item was in the final chamber, and was guarded by a small drake. 

Niki shuddered.  _ Drakes are very tough. Their scales are hard to pierce and their breath is deadly. We have to be careful.  _

Klein looked around the tent as he asked, “Is everyone ready to go?”

The others nodded. Klein continued, “Then let's go find this smith and start the quest.”

Klein lead the way out of the tent, holding the tent flap open for the others as they made their way outside. Niki stepped into the soft sunlight filtering through the trees.  _ I’ve become accustomed to this level. I’ll be a little sad when it is time to leave.  _

They walked through the camp, taking in all of the activity around them. The elves were busy, going about their daily business. Niki thought, _they did a good job programming the NPCs. They move and act like they are really alive, and not just pieces of computer code waiting for us to interact with them. It makes it easy to forget that this is all just a game._ Niki sighed. _Especially after being stuck here for so long._  

Klein made his way towards the smithing tents. They had scoped out the smiths on their first night in the camp, checking to see if there was any better equipment available. Klein thought,  _ There is only so much good equipment available in the NPC shops. Eventually, we’ll have to rely on other players to make it, or hope for a unique drop item. It always gets harder at the higher levels.  _ Klein shook his head.  _ But we’re a long way from that point right now. I should concentrate on the task at hand… _

The smithing tents were not actual full tents. They were only covers above the forges and anvils. The one that they were looking for was slightly more enclosed than the others, since jewel smithing required less brute strength and more finesse. The forge and anvil were both smaller; the latter actually resting on a work bench. The woman working in the forge had her short black hair tied back, making her pointed ears more prominent. They waited for her to finish her current task before speaking to her.

The elf looked up from her task, pushing her sweaty bangs out of her eyes. She asked, “May I help you gentlemen?”

As the group leader, Klein once again stepped forward. He pulled out the gemstone from his inventory. It appeared in his palm. He said. “We were told that you could set this stone. That you are the best jewelsmith.”

Arlena smiled, “You’ve been talking to Vincent, I see.” She held out a hand and asked, “May I?”

Klein placed the gem in Arlena’s hand. She studied the stone in the light. “I can set it. But unfortunately I am currently out of the metal ingots that I use for such work. It has become dangerous for me to collect them myself. Retrieve one for me, and I will set this stone for you.”

Klein nodded. A dialog box appeared in front of him. It read, “ _Accept quest: Heavy Metal Spelunking?_ ” Klein hit the accept button. 

Arlena continued, “I collect the ingots in a cave system, but lately monsters have taken up residence there. The cave system is about an hour’s walk to the east. Good luck, and be careful.” 

Klein nodded and said, “Thank you.” 

Klein turned to the others and said, “Are you ready?”

The others nodded in agreement. Klein nodded sharply in response. Klein turned towards the east.  _ In that direction lies our future. How fitting that it is towards the east, like the dawning of a new day. _ Klein took a deep breath as he set out from the camp, towards the caves, the others close behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coypu are real animals. They are a type of large rodent, and they look a lot like a capybara. 
> 
> I didn't intend to take three chapters to do the guild quest storyline. And yet...


	7. Fuurinkazan

December 27th, 2022  
12:00 - Aincrad, 3rd Floor

Klein cautiously peeked around the corner. The uncut walls of the passage opened up into a large cavern. Near the back of the cavern lay the source of the breathing noises they had been hearing for quite some time. _Damn, the drake is bigger than I thought it would be. I thought Kirito said it was a small drake._ Klein pulled back slowly into the passageway. _I was expecting something about the size of a large dog. That thing is bigger than a horse!_

Klein turned back towards his friends and whispered, “The drake is asleep in the cavern up ahead. If we do this right, we can catch it by surprise and get a few hits in before it realizes we’re there. We’ll sneak in and surround it.”

Klein took a deep breath before continuing, “Be prepared; that thing is much bigger than I thought it was going to be. It has two HP bars, like some of the field bosses we’ve fought before. Be wary of its teeth and claws. Once it gets down to one HP bar, it will start using its flame attack. That is a straight line attack, and we should be able to dodge it.”

Niki whispered, “Make sure that you have healing potions in your pouches, everyone. If one of us gets hit with that flame attack, we’ll need them. No one wants to have to stop and look in their item inventory for one while in the middle of battle.”

Klein nodded in agreement as he checked his pouch. _I have three potions in there. That should be plenty._ “Time to talk formation. Niki and Issin, I want you guys on the ends of the semicircle. Attack that thing from behind. I’ll take the point in the center. It is the most visible to the drake, and the most dangerous, so I can’t ask anyone else to take it. Dynamm and Dale, stay on my left. Kunimittz and Harry One, stay on the right. If we can keep it surrounded, we should be able to subdue it quickly. Everyone ready?”

The others nodded in agreement. Klein quietly said, “As carefully and quietly as possible, everyone. Let’s take this thing out.”

The men made their way into the chamber cautiously. When they got closer to the beast, Klein motioned for them to fall into position. Niki approached the left flank, while Issin took the right. The others fanned out into their previously assigned positions. Klein held up one hand, and silently counted to three…

They all struck in unison. The drake awoke, roaring in pain and confusion. It locked on to the first threat it saw. It swiped at Klein with its massive claws, forcing Klein to dive towards the floor in an attempt to dodge the attack.

The drake’s HP was dropping quickly. The first bar was already down to half when Klein picked himself up off the ground. He yelled out, “Keep it up. We’ve got it right where we want it.”

Klein moved in front of the beast, grabbing its attention as he slashed at its neck. He left a large red gash on the drake where he hit. He glanced at the others and saw that they were all unharmed, but where they stood the drake was scored with gash marks.

 _This is going better than I thought it would._ Klein jumped back as the drake swiped wildly. _It is fighting erratically, like it is still half asleep._ Klein noted that the drake’s first HP bar was almost depleted. He winced as he saw Niki get caught in the head by the drake’s tail.

“Niki, Issin! Watch it's tail!”

The first HP bar reached zero. The drake raised its head towards the ceiling and let out an ear-splitting roar. Its neck started to glow orange. Klein gritted his teeth in determination. “The drake is going to use its flame attack. Watch out!”

The drake took a deep breath and let out a fiery blast. Dynamm, Kunimittz, and Klein leapt out of the way. Despite his quick reaction, Klein was not quite quick enough. The blaze caught his left arm as he dodged to the right. Klein grimaced in frustration as he watched his HP bar drop by a forth. _If any of us take a direct hit, it could kill us…_

The drake’s HP was still dropping quickly, his second HP bar was now down by a third. Klein took advantage of the fact that the drake would have to recharge its flame attack to continue his frontal assault on the creature. The drake screamed and swiped at its attackers, catching Harry One in the shoulder and sending him sprawling to the floor. Klein glanced at Harry One’s HP. _It’s only down a little. He’ll be okay._

The drake’s HP was down to half when its neck began to glow orange again. Klein yelled, “Here comes its flame attack again. Be ready!”

The drake took a deep breath. Instead of attacking the center, this time the drake turned its head to the left. Dynamm and Niki dodged the attack. But Dale wasn’t quite quick enough. He had been in the center of the drake’s target zone. Dale took an almost direct hit, knocking him prone to the floor as tiny flames danced along his armor. Klein watched in horror as Dale’s HP dropped. _God, no…_

Dale’s HP stopped dropping. He only had 20 HP remaining. Klein sighed in relief as he watched Niki kneel down next to Dale. NIki reached into his pouch and handed a potion to Dale before standing to shield Dale from the drake until he could recover. Klein thought, _Thank God. I thought that was it for him. We HAVE to take this thing out before it can use that attack again…_

His mouth was a line of determination as he turned his full attention to the drake in front of him. Its hide was scored with red gashes. _You’re going down…_ Klein struck at the drake. It slashed at Klein’s middle in retaliation. Klein leapt back, but one claw caught him across the stomach. He gritted his teeth as he thought, _I’ll not go down that easily…_

The drake’s HP was in the yellow, and nearing the red. Klein noticed that Niki and Issin made eye contact and nodded at each other. _What are they up to?_

Both Issin and Niki pulled back their spears. When they were glowing, Issin yelled out, “One, two, three!” Simultaneously, the two used ‘Thrust’ to attack the drake from behind. The drake let out one final roar as its HP dropped to zero. It shattered into pixels.

A dialog box appeared in front of Klein, stating “Battle Won”. Klein dismissed the window, prompting a second with the battle rewards. “Item: Platinum Ingot received” appeared in the box. Klein smiled as he dismissed the box. A final dialog box appeared, accompanied by a musical fanfare. “Congratulations, you have reached level 10.”

Klein said, “Good job everyone. Not only did we get the item, but we leveled up to boot. Niki, Issin, that last attack was great. We’ll need to remember to use that in the future. Dale, are you okay?”

Dale answered, “I’m still a little shaken up. That was a little too close… Thanks for helping me, NIki.”

Niki shrugged, “Think nothing of it. You would do the same for me. I’m just happy that everyone is okay.”

Klein nodded in agreement. _We took some pretty big hits from that thing, but everyone is okay._ He said, “The drake won’t respawn for quite some time, so let’s rest here for a while before heading back to the camp.”

***

December 27th, 2022  
15:00 - Aincrad, 3rd Floor

The small group of friends stopped outside of Arlena’s smithing tent. Klein looked at his friends and nodded before stepping inside the tent. Arlena looked up from her work and said, “You made it back. Did you get the ingot?”

Klein nodded as he answered, “Yes, we did.” He pulled up his menu screen and located the ingot in his item list. Klein clicked on it and it appeared in his hand. He held it out to Arlena.

Arlena took it from Klein. “Oh, this is platinum. And it is of very high quality. I’ll be able to make a nice piece out of this for you. It will take me about an hour. You can come back for it then.”

Klein nodded and said, “Thank you.”

He turned towards his friends and said, “You heard her, guys. It will take an hour. Let’s go back to the guest tent. We can use this time to make some decisions about our guild.”

The group walked back through the camp to the tent where they had been staying. Niki ducked through the tent flap and thought, _tonight will be the last time that we stay here, unless we decide to do the Elf War quests. I’ll miss it. It has been nice, sharing quarters with everyone rather than staying alone._

Niki settled onto a futon as the others made their way into the tent. Soon everyone was settled on a futon in a rough circle. Klein scratched the back of his head as he said, “We have a lot of decisions to make about our guild. First off, we all agree that we will always be a green guild, right? Anyone that breaks that gets booted. Agreed?”

The others nodded. Niki thought, _green, yellow, and red guilds. Klein explained this to me. I knew that those colors applied to characters. Green characters do not commit crimes. Yellow characters do commit crimes, such as attacking other players. Red characters are, most often, PKers. Player Killers. I can’t understand why someone would do that, knowing what will happen if we die in this game…_

Klein smiled as he continued, “So we agree that any player that commits a crime is out. Next, should we make our guild open to anyone? Or keep it limited to the seven of us?”

Issin said, “I think if there is someone who wants to join us, and they are a green player that we trust, we should let them. Like that guy you know, Klein. What was his name again?”

Klein answered, “Kirito. He already told me that he doesn’t intend to join a guild. But if he does, he knows that he has an open invitation.”

Klein continued, “Is everyone in agreement? Our guild will be open, but only to green players we trust? Should we take on new members on a trial basis?”

Dynamm said, “A trial basis sounds like a good idea. If we tell the new member about it upfront, there shouldn’t be hard feelings if they are not a good fit for our guild.”

The others nodded in agreement. Klein thought, _this is going a lot smoother than I thought. But, we have talked about what we wanted our guild to be like since the game started. Now for the hard part…_

Klein sighed, then said, “We need a name for our guild. Once we name it, we can’t change the name, so we need to think about this carefully.” _And I don’t have the faintest idea what we should call it…_

Harry One wasted no time before blurting out, “How about the Death Squad?”

Dale piped up, “That makes us sound like a red guild. I don’t want people to think that we are a bunch of PKers.”

Dynamm asked, “How about the Raging Ronins?”

Klein perked up as he said, “I kinda like that…”

Issin interrupted him. “But there are no such things as samurai in this game. It is not one of the available classes. There are barely any katanas, either. How can we be ronins if we’re not samurai?”

Klein sighed. “Good point. That one is out…” He scratched his head as he thought. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Niki seemed deep in thought.

Klein asked, “How about the Invincibles?”

Kunimittz said, “Any name like that is just inviting bad luck. Let’s not.”

Klein said, “We want a name that will represent our strength, and our loyalty to each other. It should represent the fact that we intend to join the Clearers and help get everyone home safe…”

The tent grew quiet as the men thought on Klein’s words. Niki was thinking furiously, as he had since Klein had first mentioned that they needed a name. _I had assumed that Klein had a name in mind this whole time. What should we use? Represent our strength? Our resolve? Our loyalty? What can we use that would mean all of that? Ah…_

Niki’s quiet voice broke the silence. “Move as swift as the wind, be as orderly as the forest, be as fierce as the fire, and be as unshakeable as the mountain.”

Klein cocked his head to the side slightly as he said, “That’s from _The Art of War_. I remember that, from the class we took together my last year. Didn’t Takeda Shingen use it as a battle standard?”

Niki nodded. “Wind, Wood, Fire, and Mountain. In other words, Fuurin…”

Klein and Niki finished, in unison, “...kazan…”

Issin whistled. “I like it. It conveys all of the strengths that we wanted to show.”

Dynamm added, “I agree. I vote that we use Fuurinkazan as our guild name. All in favor?”

All of the men raised their hand enthusiastically.

Klein smiled as he said, “Okay. We need an abbreviation for the guild. I say that we use WWFM. Everyone okay with that?”

Everyone nodded. Klein continued, “The last two things we need are a symbol for our guild and the guild leader, at least for now. I think we should use a white diamond, like this.” Klein sketched out a large diamond divided into four small diamonds. “It would represent the four elements in our name. We can put it on a red background, since we have a red stone in our guild crest.”

Niki said, “I like that idea. And I have an idea for the guild leader. I vote that Klein should be our leader. He’s been doing the job these past months anyway.”

Dale said, “I second that. After all, he was also our guild leader in the last game, too. All in favor?”

All of the men raised their hands, save Klein, who just sat there blushing. He cleared his throat before he said, “We need a second-in-command. Just in case…”

Niki blurted out, “Don’t! Don’t you even think that! We’re all getting out of this game together, right?”

Klein nodded, “You didn’t let me finish, Niki. I was going to say just in case I was busy. For example, I know the clearers have strategy meetings for the floor bosses. What if I’m in one of those?”

Niki thought, _He’s right. I overreacted. But of course the main purpose of having a second is just in case something were to happen to the guild leader._ Niki sighed. _Who is Klein going to pick as a second. He wouldn’t, would he…?_

Niki’s breathing began to become shallow as he struggled to breathe. He could feel the panic beginning to grow in his chest, a feeling like he was slowly being crushed to death. _I… can’t… I can’t be responsible for everyone’s safety. I can’t even take care of myself…_

His downward spiral was interrupted when Klein said, “Kunimittz, will you be my second-in- command?”

Kunimittz started. “Me? I guess, if the others are in agreement…”

NIki took a deep breath, trying to recenter himself. _Not me. He didn’t ask me to do it. Thank God._

Harry One spoke up, “I second Klein’s nomination for second-in-command. Even though there wasn’t a second position in our last game, you were one in all but name, Kunimittz.”

Dynamm, Issin, and Dale nodded in agreement. Klein asked, “All in favor?”

Everyone raised their hands. Klein continued, “Kunimittz will be our second-in-command. I know that he will do a great job, and that the rest of you will support him when he needs it. Just like you all support me.”

Klein sighed before he said. “I think that is everything that we needed to decide. Did I leave anything out?”

Dale shook his head. “I think we have it all, too. I’m happy with our decisions.”

Klein nodded, “Me too. I think that Fuurinkazan will be a great guild. Our goal will be to get everyone out of this terrible death game. To that end, I say that our next goal is to catch up with the Clearers. Who’s with me?” As he spoke, Klein rose from the futon.

Dynamm rose as he responded, “We’ll help everyone get home safely.”

Issin added as he rose, “As we watch each other’s backs.”

Niki stood slowly as he quietly added, “Somehow we’ll find a way out of this nightmare, and back to the real world. Where our families and lives are waiting for all of us.”

Dale, Harry One, and Kunimittz stood. Kunimittz said, “We’ll get through this, together.”

The men bumped their fists together. Klein added, “After Arlena is done creating our guild crest, we can go back to the Town of Beginnings and officially create our guild… Fuurinkazan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry that it took so long for this chapter. Things have been super busy for me lately (work has been hectic, I've been out of town on the weekends, and I've been sick/exhausted). Plus, the battle scene in this chapter was really hard for me to write for some reason (and I'm still not completely happy with it). I am going to try to get back to updating once every other week from this point on.
> 
> Also, if you have been reading either of my other two long-running WIP's, I've not abandoned them. I hope to update them soon.


	8. In Search of Inspiration

March 25, 2023  
20:00 - Sapporo, Japan  
The Figure Skating World Championships

Victor smiled and held up his gold medal for the flashing cameras.  _ This is the third time in a row that I have won the World Championships. I should be used to the media frenzy afterwards.  _ For a brief second, his fake media smile faltered as he thought,  _ I guess I am. I find it all so dull now. What can I do to surprise the audience when they all expect me to win so easily year after year? _

_ I need to find a new source of inspiration. _

After what seemed like forever, the reporters and photographers finally cleared out, searching for the other medalists.  _ I thought they would never leave. I can finally go back to the hotel and relax. Maybe I can convince Christophe to come watch a movie with me. We can order room service and have a relaxing night in before the exhibition and gala tomorrow. _

Victor grasped the handle of his rolling bag and started towards the entrance of the arena, where Yakov was undoubtedly waiting for him impatiently. He stopped to pose for pictures with fans and to sign posters and other memorabilia on his way through. As he approached the door, he heard someone yell out, “Victor! Wait, could I get a picture with you?”

He sighed before he turned around, a convincing smile on his face. _Be nice to your fans, they are the reason that you have sponsors, and why you get to keep skating._ Yakov’s words echoed through his mind. Victor spied the yeller, and recognized him. _That is the Thai skater. He came in seventh, I think. He’s good, and still young. In a few years, he will be stiff competition._ _What is his name again? I’m so bad with names… Wait, Chulanont. That’s it._

Victor let go of his bag and said, “No problem. Anything for a fellow competitor. You came in seventh, yes?” 

Phichit nodded as he caught up to Victor. “Yes. I had hoped to reach the podium, but…” He shrugged as he pulled out his phone and a selfie stick. “Thank you for waiting, and agreeing to take a photo with me. It will be great for my Instagram.”

Victor replied, as Phichit attached his phone to the stick, “Make sure you tag me in the photo, so my fans can see it, too.”

Phichit nodded, holding out the selfie stick. “Smile!” He clicked the button, and checked the photo. “Thanks, it looks great.” He held the phone out towards Victor.

Victor nodded in response. Phichit continued, “My best friend is a huge fan of yours. He will die when I tell him that I got to meet you.”

Victor said, “Is your friend a skater, too? Is he here? Why not have him get a photo?” He looked around for another person that seemed as excited and energetic as the Thai skater.

Phichit’s face fell. His eyes grew bright with unshed tears.  _ For a moment I forgot. I got excited, and I forgot. How could I forget? Yuuri, I’m sorry… _ Tears began to fall from his eyes.

Victor eyes went wide.  _ What did I do? What did I say? I’m bad at dealing with people’s emotions. What do I do? _

Victor, visibly flustered, said, “Wait, don’t cry. At least, not here. There are too many cameras. Come on.”

Victor took Phichit’s shoulders and gently lead him away from the prying eyes of the public. He looked back over his shoulder at Yakov, who was scowling at his charge. Victor mouthed out the word  _ prosti* _ before turning back to guide the sobbing Phichit through the crowd. He found a bench in a now abandoned part of the rink and gently pushed Phichit down onto it before sitting beside him. 

Victor sighed as Phichit continued to cry, face hidden in his hands. Victor sat there quietly, unsure of what to do.  _ Should I try to comfort him? How? Maybe I should just let him cry it out…  _

After several long minutes, Phichit’s sobbing changed to quiet sniffles. 

Victor ran his hand through his hair before he hesitantly asked, “Why did mentioning your friend cause this?”

Phichit rubbed his hand across his eyes and sniffled before he said, “My friend is Katsuki Yuuri. He’s the skater that is caught in the SAO incident.”

Victor hissed in a breath.  _ I heard about that. Reports say that over a thousand people have died already. I knew that there was a skater caught up in that, but I had never met him.  _

Victor asked quietly, “He’s still alive?”

Phichit nodded. 

Victor added, “I heard about it, when it started. I sent flowers, even though I have never met Katsuki. It seemed like the right thing to do. I didn’t know that he’s a fan.”

Victor sighed before asking, “Have you been to see him?”

Phichit nodded. “I went after the NHK. I wish I could go back this time, but Coach Celestino insists that can’t miss that much school. I have to wait until I make my trip to Thailand later, in the summer.” His eyes began to tear up again.  _ I wish I could go now. I’m sorry that I can’t, Yuuri. _

Victor impulsively said, “I’ll go.”

Phichit squeaked in protest. “You don’t have to do that.”

Victor waved his hand to dismiss Phichit’s protests as he continued, “He’s a fan, and a fellow competitor. I want to go see him. Where is he?”

Phichit said, “Here give me your phone. I’ll text myself and then I can send you the details. It will be easier that way.”

Victor unlocked his phone and handed it to the boy. Phichit took the phone and quickly entered his number in. He sent a “testing” text and handed the phone back to Victor. The phone in Phichit’s hand buzzed, indicating that it had gotten the text. He opened it, and changed the contact name to “Victor”. 

“I’ll send you that information later. I need to look up the name of the hospital. Last time I went with one of his rink mates, so I wasn’t worried about finding it on my own. Oh, and you’ll have to check in at the front desk. His visitation is restricted, but I’m sure that all of the skaters are on the list, especially you.”

Victor nodded.  _ That makes sense. They want to keep the media away from him as much as possible.  _ “So what is Katsuki like?”

Phichit smiled. “Yuuri is the best friend I’ve ever had. He is the nicest person you could ever hope to meet. Yuuri would help anyone who asked. I’ve even seen him teach fellow competitors, like JJ Leroy in the junior division. Do you know JJ?”

Victor shook his head. 

Phichit continued, “Well, you will. He is really good, and will probably move up to Seniors next season. Yuuri helped him with his step sequences when they were both training in Detroit.” 

Phichit tapped his finger to the side of his cheek as he thought. “What else? Oh, I know! Yuuri is studying at the University of Tokyo, one of the top schools in Japan. He’s working on a degree in economics, I think. Yuuri wants to be able to help run his family’s business when he retires from skating. I think he took the last semester off, because of the Grand Prix series. This year was the first time he competed in it.

“Yuuri works really hard at everything. He told me, and I quote, ‘I’m not the best skater, so I have to work hard to make up for that.’ Yuuri studies a lot, too. I remember when he was still in high school, in Detroit. He was always studying and working hard. He always thinks he has to work harder than anyone else.  

“It could be that Yuuri’s anxiety makes him feel that way. As long as I have known him, Yuuri has had really bad anxiety. I’ve even seen him have a few full-blown panic attacks. It’s why he is so inconsistent in competitions. Add to that the fact that he is almost painfully shy, and it is why Yuuri barely talks to anyone at competitions.”

Phichit added, “Oh! I almost forgot! Yuuri is a huge fan of yours, Victor. He has been watching your career since he was 8.”

Victor asked, “How old is Yuuri now?”

Phichit answered, “He’s 21.”

Victor whistled in appreciation.  _ He’s been watching me for over a decade, since I was in the juniors… _

Victor asked, “Do you have any pictures of Yuuri? I’d like to see what he looks like before I go visit.”

Phichit smiled as he unlocked his phone and pulled up his pictures. “I have lots of pictures. Look, here's one of him and his dog. He took it a few weeks before…”

Victor nodded in understanding.  _ I don't recall ever seeing Yuuri before.  _ He smiled slightly at the sweet picture of the young man cuddling with the small dog.  _ I think I would remember a cute face like his. _

Victor took a closer look at the dog.  _ He has a poodle, like Makkachin, only smaller. Did he choose it because of me? _ “What’s his dog’s name?”

Phichit laughed as he said, “His name is Victor, actually. Yuuri calls him Vicchan most of the time.”

Victor started slightly as his mouth formed into a grin.”Really?”  _ He named his dog after me? That is adorable! I can't wait to meet him… _

***

Later that evening, Victor was sitting in his room, trying to concentrate on a cheesy American film he was watching with Chris. Finally, after the third time that Chris caught Victor looking out the window instead of at the movie, Chris asked, “Victor, what’s wrong? Do you not like the movie?”

Victor sighed. “Sorry, Chris. I just have some stuff on my mind.”

Chris sat up, turning off the television as he did. “Okay, spill it.”

Victor sighed.  _ There is no way that Chris is going to leave me alone until I tell him what is up. _ “So you know that kid that came in seventh? Phichit Chulanont?”

Chris crossed his legs and rested his elbow on his knee. He then rested his head on his hand. “The kid from Thailand, right?”

Victor nodded. “Well, he stopped me on the way out tonight and was telling me about his friend. The skater that is involved in the SAO incident.”

Chris gasped, his hand reflexively going to his mouth. “Oh, poor kid. He’s friends with Katsuki? How is he holding up?”

Victor sighed. “Not well. He broke down in front of everyone, and all of those cameras. My team is on it now, trying to keep it out of the media as much as possible.”

Chris, with a slight smirk on his face, asked, “And why would you do that, Victor?”

Victor shrugged. “Partly because it looked like I made him cry. But mostly, that poor guy has it rough enough without adding that kind of embarrassment to it.”

Chris said, “Your team will take care of it. So why are you still so preoccupied?”

Victor replied, “It turns out that Katsuki isn't just a competitor. He is also a fan of mine. He’s been a fan for a very long time.” Victor sighed. “I sent flowers when I heard about the incident originally.”

Chris nodded. “I sent some too, even though I’ve only competed against him once. I think a lot of the skaters sent flowers.”

Victor continued, “But now that I know what a big fan he is, I don’t feel like it was enough. I want to go see him.”

Chris sat up straight. “You what? Why?”

Victor shrugged. “I don’t know. It just feels right.”

Chris shook his head. “I’ve been following this story some, and I heard that the players can’t interact with the outside world at all. The hardware they are wearing blocks out signals to the brain. He won’t ever know that you were there. So why go?”

Victor shrugged again. “I just feel like it is the right thing to do.”

Chris chuckled, “Yakov is going to have a cow when you tell him you are going to Tokyo.”

Victor laughed, “I already did, and he did. I also changed my flight and booked a place to stay.”

Chris smiled as he said, “So everything is all planned out. What has you so quiet?”

Victor said, “I can’t decide what I should take as a gift for him. I don’t know him, with the exception of what Phichit told me today. I don’t want to take him more flowers.” He threw his hands up in frustration. “What can I take?” 

Chris answered quickly. “He’s a fan, right? Autograph a photo, frame it, and take that. He’ll be ecstatic when he wakes up.”

Victor’s mouth widened into a heart-shaped grin. “Chris, that’s a wonderful idea!” He launched off of the bed and pounced on his friend, enveloping him in a crushing hug. “Thank you!”

Chris rolled his eyes in mock irritation at his friend’s antics.  _ At least he’s acting like himself again. He has seemed kind of… sad and… distant… lately. If visiting Katsuki makes him feel better, then I’m happy that he’s going. I just want him to be happy again... _

***

March 27, 2023  
10:00 - Tokyo

Victor followed the nurse down the silent hallway. The only sounds coming from the rooms were the whirring and beeping of machines.  _ I’ve been in hospitals before, and they have always been more… lively? But no one is talking, watching tv, listening to music, or anything. This is… eerie…  _

The nurse stopped at a room at the end of the ward. “This is the room, Nikiforov-san. My apologies that all of the signs are in Japanese. We are not an international hospital.”

Victor smiled as he said, “It’s okay. Thank you for showing me the way.” 

The nurse bowed slightly and said, “There is no one in the room at the moment, so please go inside. I do hope you have an agreeable visit, Nikiforov-san.” She turned and made her way back down the hall.

Victor approached the door and knocked tentatively. The only sound he heard was a small bark.  _ That would be Vicchan. I'm surprised that he is allowed to be here… _

Victor opened the door and walked into the room. The sound of beeping equipment and the quiet whirring of the NerveGear were the only sounds.  _ It seems so unnatural…  _ He took a deep breath before stepping past the curtain.  _ Remember, Phichit told you it was bad… _

Victor’s breath caught. His eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of Yuuri laid out on the hospital bed, his head encased in the heavy metal helmet. Yuuri’s body had been ravaged by the months spent prone in bed. Victor could feel himself start to tear up at the sight. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm.  _ Why am I getting emotional? I don’t even know him!  _

He sighed as he approached the bed.  _ He doesn’t even look like the same man that I saw in the pictures. I guess… it affects me this way because it could be any of us. All it would take is an accident, a bad injury, to lay any of us up in a bed just like this… _

Victor moved to the chair set next to the bed. He sat down hard in the chair and set the bag slung over his shoulder on the floor. He held his hand out to Vicchan, who was whining and wagging his tail.

Victor scratched Vicchan behind the ears as he said, “Hello there, boy. I heard that your name is Victor, too.” He laughed as the small dog barked. “It looks like you are watching over Yuuri well. Hopefully he will come back soon, boy.” 

Victor smiled happily as he continued to pet Vicchan.  _ He is very much like my Makkachin. Just a lot smaller.  _ Vicchan’s tongue lolled out of his mouth. His tail wagged so hard that it was moving his entire back end and causing it to thump lightly into Yuuri’s thigh.

Victor continued to absently pet the small dog as he said, “I wish that I could have met you under better circumstances, Yuuri Katsuki. Like at a competition. I heard from your friend, Phichit, how much you wanted to meet me. I’m sorry that you won’t remember today.”

Victor thought,  _ this is silly. I’m talking to myself.  _ He hesitated briefly.  _ But do we know for a fact that they can’t hear us? Or feel us? Is there any way to know for sure? _

Victor sighed and ran his hand through his hair before he continued. “You missed a lot this season. So, I thought I would tell you how the season went. First, the Grand Prix Final.” He glanced to the bedside table and saw the picture of Phichit with a Japanese boy that Victor didn’t recognize, both sporting gold medals. “I see that you already know about your friend’s gold medal at the NHK. Unfortunately, he did not make it to the final. The lineup was Cao Bin, Kyle Johnson, Christophe Giacometti, Michele Crispino, Mathieu Laurent, and myself. Cao Bin got the bronze, Chris secured the silver, and I got the gold medal.

“At the Russian Nationals, I secured the gold medal easily. Georgi was over 20 points behind me for the silver medal. And the bronze went to Dmitry Kuznetsov, from Moscow.” Victor clicked his tongue in frustration. “I should have checked the results for the Japanese Nationals for you. But I forgot, and they told me to keep my phone turned off in here because of the equipment.”

Victor sighed before he said, “Oh well, it can’t be helped now. What’s next?” He tapped his finger on his cheek as he thought. “Oh, the European Championships! I won the gold, while Christophe added another silver medal to his collection. Crispino surprised us all by securing the bronze. Chris only edged him out by a few points. He is going to be tough competition in the future.

“The Four Continents was after that. Kyle Johnson edged Cao Bin out for the gold. And in third place was your friend, Phichit. I heard that his short skate was exceptionally good that day.” Victor paused for a moment. “Phichit’s short program this year was called  _ Holding On _ . Did you get to see it? I did, at the World’s. It was heartbreakingly beautiful. He told me that he had dedicated it to you.”

Victor shook his head before he continued. “After that was the World Championships. Kyle Johnson got the bronze. Christophe Giacometti came in second. And I am now a three-time World Champion. Phichit came in seventh, which is good enough to secure a spot in the Grand Prix series next season.”

Victor reached down and unzipped his bag. He pulled out a picture of himself dressed in his latest free skate costume. He held the picture in his lap as he said, “Phichit told me about you after the World’s. Since I was already in Japan, I wanted to come and see you. I brought you something.” He held up the signed and framed picture. “I’m sure that you’ll like it, when you wake up.”  _ And if he ever opens up the frame, he’ll see it. The note I left for him. _

Victor set the picture on the bedside table next to the one of Phichit. Then he sighed as he stood. Victor reached over and scratched Vicchan one last time behind the ears. “Take care, Yuuri.”

He reached down and grabbed the strap of his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. Then, Victor took one last look at the man lying on the bed, before making his way out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prosti = sorry in Russian (according to Google translate)
> 
> Victor finally enters the story (Yay!). Victor's hospital visits were completely the idea of my sister/Beta. It is so much better than my original idea.


	9. Clearing the Way

In late February 2023, the Clearers reached the 25th floor. The entire floor was a complex maze, complete with pitfall traps. These traps dumped players into lethal poisonous swamps that were under the main floor. The monsters on the 25th floor were also much stronger, and more intelligent, than those on the earlier floors. Many players died before the Clearers even reached the main Labyrinth. 

The floor boss’s room was located in late March. The boss was exponentially more difficult than the one on the 24th floor. The boss was defeated, but many died during the battle. The Clearers moved up to the 26th floor on March 31, 2023. Despite reaching the quarter mark in their quest to escape SAO, no one celebrated their victory. 

Nearly a third of the Clearers died on the 25th floor.  

***

April 10th, 2023  
17:00 - Aincrad, 26th Floor

The walls of the Labyrinth were made of rough-cut grey stone blocks. It gave the Labyrinth a feel similar to a dungeon. The music in the Labyrinth, like on all of the previous floors, was heavy and rhythmic, setting the players on edge. The overall atmosphere was oppressive, and was wearing Niki’s nerves raw. 

Niki thought, _But this is nothing like the last floor, or so we heard._ _After all that we heard about the 25th floor, we opted to skip it all together. Thank goodness. I don’t know if I could have handled the 25th floor. So many died there…_

Niki sighed as he looked around the crowded safe zone. The other members of Fuurinkazan were standing nearby. Klein had his back towards Niki as he talked to the leader of another guild.  _ And now here we are. In the Labyrinth on the 26th floor. With the Clearers. Getting ready to take on the floor boss… _

_ … Oh, God, we’re going to fight the floor boss… _

_ … People die taking on floor bosses… _

_ … I… can’t… _

Niki’s chest felt tight. His eyesight became blurry and he felt dizzy.  He struggled to take a breath, attempting to breathe slowly and deeply. But it was no use. Niki’s eyes filled with tears as he felt himself spiral farther down. His spear fell from his fingers as Niki fell forward onto his hands and knees. His breathing was rapid and shallow. Tears were coursing down his face. 

…  _ I can’t breathe. God, not now… _

Klein turned as he heard the spear clatter to the floor. “Niki? What…?” His eyes widened in understanding.  _ Damn, he’s having a panic attack. Why? He hasn’t had one in a really long time…  _

Klein rushed to Niki, kneeling down in front of him.  _ What do I need to do again? Oh, I remember now… _

Klein laid a hand on Niki’s shoulder and said calmly, “Niki, concentrate on breathing. It’s going to be okay. Tell me what you need.”

Niki’s breaths were ragged gasps. “I… I can’t breathe…”

Behind him, Klein heard Dale ask, “What’s wrong with Niki?”

Klein said, in a voice that sounded much calmer than he felt, “Niki is having a panic attack. He needs space. Keep everyone back.”

Issin said, “Leave it to us.” He paused for a moment before asking, “Is he going to be okay?”

Klein nodded. “He just needs a little time.”

He turned his attention back to Niki as he said, “Okay. Just breathe. Try to take deep, slow breaths, Niki.”

Niki gasped out, “I’m trying…” His breathing was rapid and shallow.  _ It feels like my lungs won’t fill up. I can’t catch my breath. _

Klein squeezed Niki’s shoulder gently. “It’s okay, Niki. You’re going to be okay. Just breathe with me. Nice, deep breaths, okay?”

Niki nodded, tears still falling from his eyes. He mimicked Klein’s breathing, trying to force his body to calm. Slowly, after several minutes that felt like hours, Niki felt his breathing return to normal. 

Niki’s body was still shaking from the after effects of the attack. He gritted his teeth in frustration as a few final tears forced their way out.  _ I haven’t had an attack since we entered the game. I’ve come close a few times, but managed to pull myself out of it at the last minute. Why now? _

Klein squeezed Niki’s shoulder again as he asked, “Are you okay now?”

Niki nodded as he wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. The tears disappeared in multi-colored pixels. “Yes, I think so.” 

Niki took a deep breath and sighed, “I’m sorry.”

Klein stood and offered Niki a hand up, which he gratefully accepted. Klein asked, “For what? This wasn’t your fault.” 

Niki choked out a sound that was half-laugh and half-cry as he stood.  _ If it isn’t my fault, then whose is it?  _ He let go of Klein’s hand as he said, “Thank you.”

Klein picked up Niki’s spear from the ground and handed it back to him. He looked at his friend, who was obviously still trying to shake off the after effects of his panic attack.  _ It is actually pretty amazing that he hasn’t had a panic attack before now. Like when we found out we were trapped inside this death game. _

Klein sighed.  _ You are stronger than you give yourself credit for.  _

He shook his head.  _ But now, I think it is time to concentrate on the task at hand. I think he’ll be okay. _

Klein cleared his throat and turned to face his guildmates. “Okay, guys. The name of the enemy is Rakash the Troll. The scouts said that he attacks in straight line patterns, by either rushing anyone in front of him or by throwing large rocks. He is vulnerable from behind.”

Klein continued, “This boss has four health bars. His attack pattern will undoubtedly change after he gets down to the last bar, so we need to be wary of that. We are dividing up into two squads: Squad A will be in front of the boss, distracting him so that Squad B can attack him from behind.”

Issin asked, “What squad are we in, Klein?”

Klein smiled and said, “We are in Squad B. I think that all of the new guys are. Just be careful, everyone.”

Niki moved over closer to his guildmates. “So, we’re not the only ones that have never been in a boss fight before? That’s comforting, actually.”   


Klein said, “Yea, I was surprised at the strategy meeting that there were as many new guilds as there were. But after the 25th floor… I guess we weren’t the only ones that finally caught up.”

There was movement near the entrance to the safe zone. Klein said, “It looks like we are finally heading out to the boss room. Everyone ready?”

The others nodded in agreement. Everyone pretended not to notice how tightly Niki gripped his spear in an effort to control his shaking hands as he followed behind the others.

***

It took twenty minutes to walk from the safe zone to the boss’s room. The trip was uneventful. With that many players traveling together, the monsters steered clear. 

The doors to the boss’s room loomed over the players. A young man dressed all in black walked up to the doors and pushed. The doors creaked open slowly, protesting the movement. He looked over his shoulder at the other players and gestured for them to follow him inside.

The players filed through the doors and into the dark room. The last player entered, and the doors creaked slowly closed behind them. Niki felt a shiver go down his spine as the heavy doors clanged shut. The room was pitch black. 

Suddenly, a single torch burst into flames. Then, one on each side of the first caught. Torches lit up in a circle around the room, illuminating it.

Niki shook with terror at the sight of the monster the light revealed.  _ Oh my God, that thing has to be 10 meters tall! How are we supposed to defeat that? _

The monster roared, causing the floor and walls to shake. The players crouched down, fighting to hold their positions in the face of the auditory onslaught. Four HP bars appeared above the monster’s head, as well as the name Rakash the Troll.

The rancid breath of the monster reached Niki, even where he was in the back of the crowd. He tried not to gag at the smell. Tears formed in his eyes.  _ This… This is impossible. We’re all going to die… _

A forceful voice shook Niki out of his spiraling thoughts. “Squads, take your positions!”

Niki tried to control his shaking, gripping his spear more tightly.  _ I can’t let the fear control me. If I do, I’m as good as dead.  _ He took a deep breath as he followed Klein and the others to their position behind the massive beast.  _ I  _ **_have_ ** _ to believe that we can do this. _

_ … But I’m not sure that I can…  _

“Look out!”

Niki’s eyes snapped up just in time to see a huge rock hurtling in his direction. He felt the wind of its passing as it struck the ground inches away.  _ God… that nearly got me. I need to pay attention, or this fight could be my last. _

“Niki!”

Niki’s head snapped to the left at the sound of his name, where Klein and the rest of Fuurinkazan had taken position. He nodded in understanding as he moved through the crowd towards the others.  _ I need to get out of my own head.  _

Another player backed up quickly, colliding with Niki. He stumbled, and fell into one of the large rocks that littered the boss room floor. Niki bounced off the rock and landed on the floor, hard. He winced, a reaction to pain that didn’t come.  _ Oh, right. There is no pain in this game. I forgot… _

He looked at his stats and saw that his HP had dropped slightly from the impact. Niki’s eyes widened when he noticed the HP bars of his fellow party members.  _ Everyone has lost at least a quarter of their HP except for me…  _

Niki crouched next to the rock. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest and his breathing was rapid and shallow.  _ This is too much. I can’t… _

The massive troll rushed straight towards a group of players. Niki watched in horror as the players were tossed into the air like lifeless dolls. Screams of terror filled the room as they plummeted towards the ground, helpless to stop. A massive boom sounded as they hit the floor. Most of the players stood slowly, shaking as they regained their bearings. But one player…

… Shattered. His body broke into pixels as his final cry echoed through the room. He had been dead before he even hit the ground.

Niki’s eyes were wide in shock. He tried to control the shaking of his limbs. He glanced up at his HP, knowing that it hadn’t changed. That is when he noticed it.

Issin’s HP was down to below half, and steadily dropping. Niki’s body seemed to move without thought.  _ I have to help him. I… I can’t let them, any of them, die… _

Niki fought his way through the chaos. All sense of tactics had been lost under the unexpected onslaught of the troll’s attacks. Niki scanned the room for his party members. He caught a glimpse of a red bandana and pushed his way through the other players towards what had to be Klein.

Niki kept one eye on the others’ HP gauges as he forced his way ever closer to his friends.  _ Issin’s HP is still going down. Why haven’t you healed yourself? And the others are steadily losing HP as well. What the Hell is going on? _

The troll had turned, facing the players that had been mercilessly attacking it. The troll pummeled them with attacks that were so powerful that Niki could almost see a shock wave forming behind them. The attacks left the players in a vulnerable daze.  _ My friends have gotten caught in that cycle. How can I help them? _

He pursed his lips into a thin line.  _ I have to distract the troll. _

Niki ran through the mass of players as fast as he could. He stopped behind the massive boss. He gritted his teeth as he pulled back his spear and thrust it as hard as he could into the troll’s thick hide. The troll let out a strangled sound of pain.

Niki was frozen. Not with fear, but from the cool-down after his skill had been used. And the troll was turning to face him.  _ Oh… crap… _

Desperately hoping that someone nearby could help him, Niki yelled out, “Switch!”

There was a blur of motion to his left. Niki saw a massive axe swing towards the troll, leaving a deep gash in its side. A deep voice called out, “Switch!”

Niki, free of the cool down, stepped forward. He thrust his spear with all of his might into the troll. As his body froze, the axe took another swing at the troll almost before he could call out for the switch.

Niki’s world narrowed. The chaos surrounding him seemed to disappear as he concentrated on the massive beast in front of him. The unknown axe wielder and Niki switched off attacks, until the troll’s hide was riddled with wounds. The troll let out a terrifying howl.

Niki braced himself, planting his feet firmly apart and holding his spear in a guard position. The troll lashed out with his arms erratically. Screams of terror filled the room. 

One of the massive arms struck Niki. He grunted as the force of the blow pushed him back. Niki’s foot caught on a piece of stone and he flew backwards, landing on his back several meters away. He grimaced as he glanced at his HP.

_ It is only down to half. I’m not done yet… _

He pushed himself off of the ground and ran back towards the massive boss. Niki pulled back his spear as he approached and shouted, “Not yet! I’m not done with you, you son of a…”

Niki’s spear pierced through the troll’s skin. It shattered, raining colored pixels down on the players. Niki stopped, frozen in shock, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.  _ Did… Did I just do what I think I did? _

A dialogue box appeared in front of Niki, stating simply, “You got the Last Attack.” Niki’s legs gave out under him, and he fell to his knees.

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.  _ There is no way that I got in the last hit on that boss, right? Surely it was someone else, the system made a mistake… _

Another dialog screen appeared in front of Niki. It listed his experience, Cor, and items from the battle. There was one item that caught Niki’s eye. _Huh? A unique_ _item? The Ring of Araum…_

Niki heard Klein call out, “Niki!”

He looked up to see Klein rushing towards him. Niki said, “Are you okay? Where are the others?”

Klein stopped in front of Niki, placing his hands on his thighs as he let out a sigh of relief. He said, “Yes, I’m okay. The others are still back there, healing up.” He motioned vaguely over his shoulder. 

Niki looked over to see the other members of Fuurinkazan sitting on the floor, drinking health potions. He glanced up and noted that Klein’s health was still down below half. “You should too, Klein.”

Klein slumped to the floor, weariness evident in his face. He shrugged. “I had to check on you first. I was worried, since we got separated…”

Klein smiled as he added, “But you’re fine. See, I knew you had it in you!” Klein clapped Niki on the shoulder. Niki tried not to wince at the unexpected contact.

Klein narrowed his eyes and studied the expression on Niki’s face.  _ Is he okay? He looks fine, but a little dazed. How is he holding up mentally?  _ Klein sighed.  _ This battle was tougher than we could have ever imagined. Niki was already a mess before we even got started. And then he got separated from us… _

_ He probably spent the entire fight cowering behind a rock or something. And now he’s ashamed to admit to it. It was a mistake to bring him with us. We should have let him stay at the inn… _

Klein cleared his throat and asked, “You  _ are _ okay, right?”

Niki nodded. “I’m fine. It’s just… umm…”

Niki swallowed hard before he tentatively said, “Klein… I got the Last Attack…”

Klein, not registering what Niki said, automatically replied, “Man, it’s okay. I know you were terrified of all of this. Honestly, I was scared too… Wait… What?!?”

Niki blushed as he said, “Um… I got the last hit in on the boss… I got the Last Attack bonus?”

Klein’s eyes widened in surprise. “Woah, really? Are you sure?”

Niki nodded. Klein continued, “That’s awesome, man! Wait, doesn’t that mean that you got a super-rare drop item? What did you get?”

Niki opened his menu and found the new ring on his item list. He clicked on the item and held it out for Klein to see. “It’s called the Ring of Araum.”

Klein clicked on the ring and whistled in appreciation. “Niki… this is a unique item. It grants a…  _ 25% boost to the player’s strength!?! _ ” Klein shook his head in disbelief. “Man, I can hardly believe that such an item even exists! You  _ have _ to equip this. You’d be stupid not to.”

Niki nodded. “I’m going to, right now.” He pulled his menu up and clicked on the equip screen. Under accessories, he chose the ring slot and moved his new ring into the slot. It appeared on his right ring finger.

Niki looked at the ring, turning it so that the torchlight caught on the simple gold band.  _ It looks like it was made for me. It even feels right on my finger… _

Niki was brought out of his thoughts by Klein’s voice saying, “Catch.” 

Niki looked up just in time to catch the potion that Klein tossed to him. There was another potion already in Klein’s hand. Klein continued, “Everyone is going to head up to the next floor soon. We need to heal up before we go.”

Niki nodded.  _ He’s right. We don’t need to go into the unknown at anything less than full strength.  _ _ And it looks like it is almost time. _

Across the room, opposite from the door where they entered the boss room, a new door had appeared. The same black clad young man that had opened the boss room door approached it, other players following close behind. Klein inclined his head towards the door. “It looks like they are moving on. Are you ready?”

Niki looked down at his new ring and clenched his fist. He nodded.  _ I can do this. I’m ready. _

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so very sorry that it took so long to update. There were several factors involved here: around the time of the last update, I started a multi-chapter special Christmas Victuuri fic that took longer to finish than I thought it would (it wasn't completed until February). There were also two really difficult elements to write in this chapter: the panic attack and the battle scene. Add to that a healthy dose of real life stress and writer's block, and here we are. 
> 
> I am going to try to do better. Thank you to all of you that are still reading and I hope that this chapter was worth waiting for.


	10. Reflection

May 8, 2023  
17:00 - Aincrad, 28th Floor, the town of Hiran

Hiran was the warp gate town on the 28th floor. The Mewling Cat was the largest and most expensive inn in Hiran. Its meeting room was currently being used to hold the planning meeting for the 28th floor boss. Dozens of players were crowded around the large wooden table in the middle of the massive room. The center of attention was a player from the Knights of the Blood. He was the leader of their scouting team, and one of the first to see the new boss. He cleared his throat and waited for the crowd to quiet.

The man took a deep breath, and projecting so that all could hear him, he said, “We have found the boss’ room. My party and I went inside, just yesterday. The boss is called Waheela the Black Wolf. It seems that his highest attribute is speed. He spends most of his time in a mist-like state, materializing and attacking quickly before dispersing again. He attacks with teeth and claws, at least at first. He has four HP bars. Sorry, that is all the information that I could gather before I deemed it unsafe to remain.”

The crowd of Clearers mumbled, some in disappointment in the lack of information; others in understanding that the safety of his party had to be put first. Niki thought,  _ if it was us, if Fuurinkazan was the scouting party, of course we would escape the boss’ room at the first hint of real danger. I don’t blame him at all for retreating. _

Niki looked towards Klein. He was standing a short distance away, hand resting on his chin. Klein said quietly, “I don’t know why everyone is griping. They got us some good information…”

Niki smiled.  _ It seems that I’m not the only one that feels that way. _

The sudden noise of fists hitting the wooden table silenced the crowd. Niki started slightly as he looked up.  _ That’s Asuna, the second in command of the Knights of the Blood. Is she in charge of this meeting? _

Asuna’s eyes scanned the crowd, making eye contact with all of the players gathered there. “You heard the scouts, everyone. This boss is fast. We have to make sure that it has nowhere to run to. That is the only way that we can defeat it.”

She pointed at the map one of the scouts had drawn. “If we have people in all of these locations…” She pointed to several key spots on the crude map, “... then the boss’ speed will be negated. The Knights of the Blood will be here and here.” She pointed to the corners farthest from the door.

She looked across the room to a man in armor near the door. “Can we count on the Divine Dragons Alliance to cover these corners?” She pointed to two adjacent corners near the door.

The man nodded. “Yes, we can cover that easily.”

Asuna nodded. “Smaller guilds and solo players, you will be assigned to these two corners.” She pointed to the two remaining corners. “If everyone stays in their assigned area, we should be able to defeat this boss with ease. Let’s be cautious, and take this boss down.”

The players in the room shouted their enthusiasm, pumping their arms in the air. Niki found himself joining in. He felt a hand clap him hard on the back. He looked over his shoulder.

Klein smiled as he removed his hand. “How are you feeling this time? Okay?”

Niki nodded.  _ My anxiety has gotten a lot better. I don’t know exactly what did it but… _

He thought back to the boss fight from the 27th floor. The boss had seemed less intimidating than the troll from the 26th floor.  _ I was barely scared at all. It seemed almost… mundane. _

Light glinted off of the ring on his right hand, drawing Niki’s eyes to it. He took a deep breath.  _ I just feel like… I don’t have to be afraid anymore. Like I can do this. _

Klein said, “Good. Listen, why don’t you go with the others to get us rooms? I need to go find out where our position tomorrow will be.”

Niki nodded in agreement. “That’s a good idea. I have a feeling that the inns in town will fill up quickly tonight. And I think a good meal and a good night’s rest will do everyone a lot of good.”

***

An Hour Later

The common room buzzed with conversation. The inn was booked solid for the night, as members of the Clearers wanted to rest as close to the impending battle as possible. Fuurinkazan had managed to get the last seven rooms available. All of its members, save Klein, were gathered around a table in the common room.

The inn’s door opened, and Klein walked through the doorway. He scanned the room and smiled as he caught sight of his friends.

Klein made his way towards the table. He said, “Hey guys. Sorry that I took so long.” He took a look at the drinks in front of his friends. “No fair, you guys started without me.”

Kunimittz said, “Sorry, we got tired of waiting. What took so long, anyway?”

Klein sighed as he plopped down hard into an empty chair. He held up a hand to get the attention of the server NPC. “There were a lot of small guilds and even some solo players. Asuna just wanted to make sure we were evenly distributed based on number and level. It took a while.”

The NPC approached the table and Klein asked the others, “Have you guys eaten yet?”

Niki shook his head. “We were waiting on you.”

Klein turned to the NPC and said, “Bring us seven orders of the daily special, and seven ales.”

The NPC nodded. “Your order will come shortly.” She turned and walked back towards the kitchen.

Issin sighed. “Klein, you’re so lucky. Getting to spend all that extra time with Asuna.”

Klein laughed. “Yea, me and twenty other guys. It wasn’t like it was just the two of us.”

Harry One said, “She’s pretty, don’t you think? And she is one of the best players in the game.”

Dale said, “Yea, too bad none of us have a chance. Right, Klein?”

Klein shrugged. “I don’t know, she looks a little young for me anyway. She is pretty, though. Think she might be interested in an older man?”

Dynamm nearly choked on the mouthful of ale he was drinking. “Keep dreaming, Klein. We’ve been stuck in this game for months, and so far none of the female players have shown any interest in you.”

Klein hung his head. “Man, that’s cold…”

Dynamm added, “But I do have to say, she is a pretty one. I wouldn’t mind being her boyfriend.”

Kunimittz laughed.”Like you’re doing any better, Dynamm. Not a single one of us has a girlfriend, here or in the real world.”

Dynamm sighed heavily, “That’s true…”

Dale leaned back in his chair, balancing it on the back legs, as he muttered, “Damn it, why couldn’t there be more girl players in this game? The deck is stacked against us.”

Issin sighed dejectedly. “And to make matters worse, most of the girls seem much too young for any of us. It’s not fair…”

Harry One asked, “What about you, Niki? You’re being awfully quiet. You don’t have a girl waiting on you, do you?”

Niki pointed at himself as he replied, “Me? No way. I didn’t have time for a girlfriend, not with school and my skating career.” He chuckled nervously. “I’d feel sorry for anyone I might date. I never had any time, and I was never home.”

Klein said, “Now that you mention it, I can’t ever remember you even showing any interest in anyone before. What kind of girl do you like, Niki? Maybe we could help set you up.”

Niki hesitated.  _ I was hoping that they wouldn’t ask me that. I’ve never really given it any thought before now. It’s not like I ever had any time to have a relationship. But I can’t tell them that. I need to say something to deflect this… _

Niki forced a convincing laugh as he replied, “You can’t even find girlfriends for yourselves. What makes you think you can set me up?”

The others sighed. Kunimittz muttered, “True, but a little harsh, man…”

Klein added, “Yea, way to rub it in.”

Niki scratched the side of his cheek and said, “Sorry, I guess I went too far?”

Dale lost his balance and cried out, “Whoa!” His chair fell backwards and landed on the floor with a loud crash. It shattered into pixels. Dale rubbed the back of his head, his face red. “Man, I broke the chair. That’s embarrassing…”

The other men looked at Dale, then at each other. They burst into riotous laughter. Dale’s face turned redder. “It’s not funny!” He took his empty ale mug and threw it at Issin’s head, who was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes. It hit him square in the forehead before shattering.

Issin yelped, “What the hell, Dale. That’s not funny!” He rubbed his forehead at the imagined hurt.

Dale yelled. “Then  _ stop laughing _ !”

The NPC came back with their orders. “Here is your food and drink, gentlemen. But I must ask you to please refrain from destroying any more of the inn’s property.”

Dale hung his head and mumbled, “Sorry about that.”

The other men chuckled behind their hands, trying to control their laughter. Dale blushed bright red as he walked to another table to claim a new chair.

***

Later that evening

Niki sighed deeply as he sank onto the bed.  _ It has been a long day. And tomorrow will be worse. The floor boss… they always make me anxious. _

He shook his head.  _ No, don’t start that. I can do this.  _ He held up his right hand, allowing the ring to catch the light.  _ I’ve done it before, and I will do it again. Everything will be fine. _

Niki’s mind wandered back to the conversation from earlier in the evening.  _ Why do they always talk about such inane things the night before the boss fights? Are they distracting themselves from the the task at hand?  _ He sighed.  _ I don’t get it… _

He flipped over, so that he was lying on his stomach.  _ I’ve not ever thought about girls, or what kind of girl I like. But they seem to talk about girls all the time! Is that normal? _

Niki groaned in frustration.  _ I’m probably the weird one. Why have I never thought about this before? _

He sighed.  _ Because I didn’t have time. I was always busy. I had school, dance, skating… When would I have had time for a relationship? _

_ It’s not that I don’t know when a girl is what other men would think of as attractive. It almost like… I’m just not attracted to them? _

Niki sat up on the bed and swiped his hand down his face in frustration.  _ God, I  _ **_am_ ** _ the weird one! How can I  _ **_not_ ** _ be attracted to pretty girls? _

_ Just calm down and think. All I have to do is remember who I have had crushes on in the past. Then I’ll know what kind of girl I’m attracted to. Easy, right? _

He rested his chin in his hand as he thought.  _ Let’s see… I had a slight crush on Yuuko in junior high… But later I realized that the affection I felt for her was more like what I feel towards Mari, like a sister. _

He sighed deeply.  _ Man, this is harder than I thought. I guess I just don’t crush on people. Wait… _

An image crossed his mind. A lithe body with long silver hair and piercing blue eyes gracefully skating across the ice. Powerful legs launching him into nearly impossible jumps, and then landing seemingly effortlessly. A wide, bright smile and friendly demeanor in front of the cameras.

He groaned.  _ Victor. I’ve been infatuated with him for all of these years. It’s always been Victor… _

A sudden chill went down his spine.  _ Does that mean that I’m gay? But, am I even attracted to other men? Or is it just Victor? _

_ … It’s just him. _

_ … Oh, God. I’m… in love? _

_ … With Victor Nikiforov… _

He closed his eyes to stave off the tears threatening to escape.  _ Like it matters. I’ll never get to meet him now. _

The tears started to roll down his face. He covered his face with his hands as the sobbing started to rack his body.  _ It’s already been 6 months, and we’re only about a fourth of the way through. Even if we keep up this pace… _

_ … It will take us two years, or more, to clear the game. I… don’t think I can recover from this. Not after that long. Even if I survive this death game, I don’t think that I’ll ever skate again. I’ll never get to meet him on the ice, as an equal. _

Niki felt like his heart was shattering into a million pieces.  _ God, it hurts…  _ He grasped his shirt above his heart and doubled over.  _ Why does it hurt so much? It’s not like I really had a chance with Victor. He doesn’t even know that I exist. _

He whispered softly, “I love Victor.”  _ But I can’t even tell anyone. The guys would treat me differently if they knew. Even Klein. I can’t tell them. _

Niki fell over onto the bed and pulled his knees up into his chest.  _ Why am I such a mess? What am I going to do? _

He grabbed the pillow and pulled it to his face, stifling his sobs. With tears still coursing down his face, he somehow managed to fall into a fitful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I feel bad about doing this to poor Yuuri.
> 
> I was inspired by all of the kudos and comments on the last chapter. This scene actually was intended for a lot later in the original outline of the fic, but it seemed like a good fit now. Especially with Victor having visited Yuuri in the hospital. 
> 
> Right now I am on the fence about writing the boss battle for floor 28. Let me know what you think in the comments. Regardless, look forward to a new chapter, hopefully soon.


	11. Waheela the Black Wolf

May 9, 2023  
13:00 - Aincrad, 28th Floor Labyrinth

The safe zone was packed, the air electrified with the nervous energy of the players waiting there. Niki closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. _We’ve got this, I’ve got this. Everything will be fine. There is no need to panic…_

He repeated the mantra over and over in his head, blocking out the world around him, in an effort to keep himself calm. He felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Klein’s smiling face.

“You doing okay?”

Niki nodded. “Yes. I’m doing the same thing I did before the last boss. It seems to help.”

Klein said quietly, “You know, there is no shame in what happened before. But, I’m glad that you have found a way to avoid it. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

Niki smiled weakly. “Thanks, Klein.” He took another deep breath and let it out slowly.

His attention was caught by movement at the front of the safe zone. _It looks like the Knights of the Blood have finally arrived. I think that is everyone._

Someone cleared their throat loudly, causing the waiting players to quiet. Niki heard Asuna’s voice say clearly into the silence, “We have a battle plan. If we stick to the plan, we should be able to beat this boss quickly, and with no casualties. Remember your positions. And make sure that you have healing items ready in your pouch. Is everyone ready?”

The roar of affirmation from the crowd was overwhelming. It seemed to make the walls and floor of the labyrinth shake. Niki grinned widely as he shouted with the crowd. _We’ve got this. This floor boss is going down…!_

***  
The giant doors slowly closed after the last player cleared the threshold. The room was bare, the floors an eerie, reflective black color. A voice called out, “Positions!”

Niki moved quickly with his guildmates, through the throng of players, to their appointed corner. The rest of the players were moving to other corners, and waiting anxiously for the boss to make its entrance.

They didn’t have to wait long. The sound of the door clanging shut was still echoing through the room when the boss materialized. It lifted its head and let out a bone-chilling howl. Four HP bars appeared above its head. The name ‘Waheela the Black Wolf’ appeared above the HP bars. It bared its teeth at the players and dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

Niki found a place to stand between Klein and Dynamm. He braced his feet shoulder width apart and held his spear at the ready. _This thing is so fast! And the way that it ducks in and out of existence like that… How are we supposed to hit it?_

The boss let out a whine of pain. Niki turned his head to see that some of the members of the Knights of the Blood had managed to hit it. _Ah, by being in the right place at the right time. It has to materialize eventually to be able to attack us. And it is not like we can’t see it at all. There is that strange black mist…_

Niki braced himself as the mist approached him. The mist swirled and solidified into the snarling mouth of the wolf. Niki yelped and leapt back, crashing into the wall. The sudden impact knocked the breath out of him. He squinted one eye shut. _Damn, that was embarrassing._ Niki blushed bright red.

The other players around him were mercilessly attacking the boss. Niki shook his head to clear it and stepped up to join the fray. _I can’t let it rattle me…_

Niki tightened his hold on his spear and pulled it back. It glowed blue as he pierced the wolf’s side with his ‘Thrust’ skill. As the post-skill paralysis seized his body, Niki yelled, “Switch!”

Without hesitation, Klein stepped up. His blade glowed red as he connected with the beast. Niki grinned as Klein’s eyes darted towards him. “Switch!”

Niki, with his spear at the ready, switched with Klein. Using ‘Thrust’ again, he felt the spear connect with the wolf, and heard it yelp, as it dissipated and moved away from them.

He glanced at the guild’s stats. _Everyone is okay. Everything is going to be okay. The boss is already down one whole HP bar…_

Klein interrupted his thoughts. “Stay alert! We don’t know when it will come back!”

Niki nodded in agreement. _He’s right. Now, where is it… Ah._

The wolf had rematerialized near some of the members of the Divine Dragons Alliance. A group of heavily armored swordsmen jumped at it, striking it with their blades. The spearmen behind them struck without the need for a verbal call to switch. Niki whistled in admiration. _They are like a well-oiled machine. These players have been fighting together so much, and for so long, that it is almost like they can read each other’s thoughts. I hope that we can get to that point some day…_

Niki snapped back to attention as the wolf dissipated once again. _That last round of attacks lowered the second HP bar to about half. And no one seems to be seriously injured._

He followed the mist with his eyes anxiously, his whole body on alert. _He was just over here, the chances that he would come back over here so soon are rare…_

Niki sighed slightly in relief as the wolf formed in one of the corners near him, where the solo players were located. A young man dressed in black ran up to the beast and slashed it viciously with his sword. His voice echoed through the room as he called, “Switch!”

A tall man with dark skin, and a large axe stepped up next to him. He swung his axe down on the head of the wolf. The wolf’s head was forced to the ground from the force of the blow. The man grinned broadly and called out the switch.

Before the swordsman could strike again, the wolf turned to mist, retreating. Klein, laughing, said, “That’s the way to do it! Hit it so hard that it runs away with its tail between its legs. Leave it to Kirito and Agil to scare the boss!”

Niki snorted. _He’s right, it_ **_was_ ** _like the boss was afraid of them. It didn’t even try to fight back…_

He tightened his grip on his spear. The slight grin on his face disappeared as he watched the mist dart around the room. _I wish that this boss would just stand and fight. This watching it, trying to anticipate where it might appear, is nerve wracking._

The boss’ HP was still in the second bar when it materialized again. This time, it was near the Knights of the Blood. It was the corner that Asuna was commanding. Her blade moved faster than lightening as she struck the beast. Other blades struck the boss as she pulled back. Axes and spears followed behind, switching with the swords.

A player cried out as the wolf closed his teeth around his arm. His companions struck at the wolf mercilessly until the wolf relented and released the player. The boss turned to mist, and hovered for a moment near the center of the room.

_That is the only area clear of players. It is already below half HP, it almost appears like it is trying to escape the players._

It let out another howl. Niki felt a chill go down his spine at the sound. _I didn’t think that it could howl in its mist form. That’s creepy…_

The mist floated around the room, as if the wolf was having trouble deciding where to attack next. Niki followed it with his eyes as best he could, all of his nerves on edge. The mist came back around to where Niki and the others were, materializing a short distance away.

Niki waited, allowing the swordsmen to get in close first. _This strategy seems to be working well for the other groups. Two waves, based on weapon reach. Issin and I, along with the other spearmen, are part of the second wave. When they call for the switch…_

The swordsmen, and other short reach weapons, struck the wolf hard, in near unison. The spearmen and other long reach weapons came behind them and attacked while they waited for their cooldown period to pass. Niki felt his spear connect before the paralysis of the cooldown hit him.

He glanced at the boss’ HP as the cycle of attacks repeated itself. _It is almost down to the last HP bar. Before long, it will get desperate, and its attack pattern will change…_

Niki felt his muscles relax as his cooldown ended, just as it was time for the switch. He held his spear high above his head and angled down into the wolf, using his new skill, ‘Downward Thrust.’ It connected solidly with the wolf, making a deep puncture wound.

_It’s a risk. The cooldown for this skill is unusually long. But, I don’t think that the boss will stay here much longer. He’ll move… I hope…_

The wolf bared his teeth and latched onto the arm of a female player standing nearby. She screamed in terror. Other players attacked the wolf incessantly in an attempt to make it let go of her arm. She was using her free hand in a futile attempt to pry the wolf off of her. After a few seconds, the wolf let go of the girl and retreated back into smoke. Its HP was in the yellow, and barely still in the third bar.

_The next attacks should send it into the final bar… What unlucky group will be the ones to push it over? God, is it terrible that I hope that it’s not us?_

The wolf wasted no time attacking again. This time, he chose the corner with the Divine Dragons Alliance. The guild leader grinned as he took his massive sword and brought it down on the wolf, personally dropping the wolf’s HP down into its final bar.

The wolf growled in anger, before following up with a ear-shattering howl, unlike the ones before. As it howled, a line of jagged black spikes rose from the floor, spearing anything it their path. Several players cried out in alarm as the spikes ran through them, leaving large wounds on their bodies.

The wolf dissipated again, only to reappear almost immediately on the other side of the room, where the solo players were. It howled again, and the players scrambled to avoid the line of spikes that suddenly appeared, only to disappear almost as quickly as they formed. Several of the solo players managed to approach the wolf, and landed a few hits before it reverted to its mist form.

Niki watched, feeling like his heart was going to beat out of his chest, as the wolf disappeared and reappeared in different parts of the room. Each time he appeared, he summoned a line of spikes. He watched as several players were skewered on the spikes. Some players still managed to hit the wolf, but the HP bar was dropping slowly as less and less players were able to get near the boss.

Niki sucked in a breath as the wolf once again appeared near him. He poised his body, ready to dodge the spikes. But the wolf appeared facing in the opposite direction. Niki smiled.

_It’s wide open. I can attack it easily, and hopefully cause some major damage…_

Niki glanced at Issin. The other man nodded in understanding. They moved closer to the boss as it howled the spikes into existence. Then, in unison, Niki and Issin used ‘Thrust,’ their combined attacks causing more damage than they could separately. The boss growled in frustration before retreating back into mist.

Niki glanced again at its HP. _It only has a little of its last HP bar left. Hopefully we can end this quickly before anyone gets seriously hurt…_

The Knights of the Blood were its new target. Asuna stood her ground, dodging the spikes at the last possible second with a jump that sent her directly towards the wolf, weapon ready to strike. Using the momentum from her jump, she buried her rapier into the massive wolf. It yelped, before shattering into pixels.

The room was dead quiet. Niki dismissed the dialog box announcing the end of the battle and glanced around at the other players nearby. _It looks like everyone is in a state of shock… I feel the same way. I can’t believe that we defeated it that easily. And that no one died, this time. Thank God…_

Someone on the other side of the room, where the Knights of the Blood were located, started cheering. His voice was quickly joined by others, until the entire chamber was filled with the sound of joyful players. Niki cheered loudly with the crowd, smiling broadly.

Klein slung his arm around Niki’s shoulder. He was grinning widely. Despite being right next to Niki’s ear, Klein yelled loudly to be heard over the crowd, “We did it!”

Niki nodded emphatically. “We did it.” His response was quieter, and lost to the din. _We did it. We defeated a floor boss, and no one died. Maybe this means that we can really do this. Maybe we can reach floor 100 and beat the game…_

_Maybe we really can get out of here, and go home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main reason that this chapter took so long to write is that I really didn't know what direction this chapter was going to take. Eventually, after all of the setup for the boss battle in the last chapter, I thought it would be a shame to skip it. Especially since this was one fight that I knew canonically had no player deaths. 
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will not take so long for me to write. Thank you for reading and I hope that you continue to enjoy this story. We're not even halfway through the Aincrad Arc, so we're still in for the long haul.


	12. What Hurts the Most

August 17, 2023  
13:00 - St. Petersburg

Victor sighed as he reached the boards. He picked up his skate guards and slipped them over his blades before stepping off of the ice.  _ This new free skate program is brutal. I really shouldn’t have included so many quads in it, but otherwise… _

_ I risk others being able to best me. I have to keep working hard, and pushing myself. _

Victor groaned internally as he caught sight of Yakov glaring at him.  _ Great. He must have heard about my little trip. I was hoping that I could get away without him finding out. I wonder who told? _

Yakov growled, “Vitya. My office. Now.”

Victor nodded. “As soon as I get my skates off, Yakov.”

Yakov nodded brusquely before turning away.

Victor leaned over and untied his skates. He hissed as his feet began to pulse in pain. Victor ignored the pain and began drying his skates.  _ I don’t care how big of a hurry Yakov is in, I will not ruin my skates because of it. And he would not thank me for it anyway. _

Victor carefully stowed his skates in his gear bag and gently slipped his battered feet into his shoes.  _ I’ll have to doctor my feet well tonight. Otherwise, all of the walking I’ll have to do tomorrow will really hurt… _

He walked towards Yakov’s office, a feeling of dread settling heavily over him.  _ I know that he’s just going to yell at me. He wasn’t happy when I went the first time. _

Victor walked through the open office door, and settled into one of the well-worn chairs facing the desk. Yakov shook his head, closing the door before walking around the desk to sit in the chair behind it.

“When were you going to tell me, Vitya?”

Victor shrugged. “You can’t yell at me for going if you don’t know.”

“So you didn’t plan on telling me?”

“No.”

Yakov sighed heavily. “Vitya, what is the point? The boy cannot see or hear you. He will have no idea that you were there. And you already went to see him once. That is more than most would have done. Why this sudden fascination?”

Victor shrugged. “I don’t know. I… can’t really explain it. I just feel like I need to see him. Have you ever watched him skate, Yakov?”

Yakov nodded. “Yes, he was good. It is a shame what happened to Katsuki. At this point, as long as he’s been out, I doubt that he’ll ever skate again. Even if he does wake up.”

Victor nodded somberly. “I know.”

Yakov said, “But that still doesn’t explain it. Why are you taking time out of your training schedule to go visit a man that you never met, who will never even know that you were there?”

Victor threw his hands up in frustration “ _ I don’t know!  _ I can’t explain it, Yakov. I’m sorry. I just feel like… this is something that I have to do…”

Yakov sighed. “I’m not going to pretend to understand it. But I know that I can’t stop you. So do what you have to do, and come back with your head on straight, ready to work.” 

Victor nodded. “Of course.”

***  
August 19, 2023  
11:00 - Tokyo, Japan

Victor walked down the quiet hallway alone, having kindly turned down an escort.  _ I’ve been here before, and he’s not changed rooms. I can find my own way. _

_ It is still unnerving how quiet this wing of the hospital is. I noticed it when I was here before, but… All of the patients in this wing must be like Yuuri. That is the only thing that would explain this eerie silence. _

Victor stopped in front of Yuuri’s room. He knocked politely at the door frame. There was no answer.  _ Not that I expected one. _

He opened the door and stepped inside the dim room.  _ I guess there’s not much point on keeping the lights on.  _ The door squeaked slightly. Victor heard a quiet whine from the other side of the curtain.

Victor smiled slightly.  _ Vicchan. Good thing that I remembered to bring some dog treats. _

He stepped around the curtain and nearly lost his composure.  _ My God, the man lying there doesn’t look like Yuuri at all… _

The months spent lying flat in a hospital bed had not been kind to Yuuri’s body. His body was too thin; nearly all of his muscle tone gone. His skin appeared to be too pale. Victor sat down hard on the chair beside the bed.

“If it wasn’t for Vicchan, I would almost think that I came into the wrong room. You don’t look like the same man that I watched skate in all of those videos.”

Victor rummaged in his bag and pulled out a bag of dog treats. He held one of the treats to Vicchan, who took it eagerly. Victor scratched behind the dog’s ears as he continued to talk.

“I watched every routine of yours that I could find. You were so talented. It is a shame that…”

Victor shook his head.  _ I can’t say it. If I say it, it makes it real. That he’ll never get to skate competitively again. That his decision to play a game, a decision that should have been inconsequential, cost him his career on the ice… _

He cleared his throat. “I’ve been in contact with your friend, Phichit. He told me that he came by to see you in June, on his way home to Thailand. I think that he’s back in Detroit now. No doubt working on his routines for next season.”

He sighed as he pulled out another dog treat for Vicchan. The dog happily took the treat from Victor, munching away as Victor continued to lavish the small dog with attention. “We’re all getting ready for the season. I’ve got all three of my routines set. I’m just working on fine tuning them. The exhibition was the hardest one this year. I want to continue to surprise the audience, and they always expect grand gestures for the exhibition.”

Victor tapped the side of his mouth with one finger. “I wonder, what would you think of my exhibition skate? I hope that you don’t mind that I borrowed so much of your routine…”

Victor thought back to the routine. It was from a few years back, when Yuuri was still a junior and training in Detroit. He had skated his exhibition at the Junior World Championships to a cover of U2’s  _ With or Without You _ . The soulful lyrics and expressive skating had taken Victor’s breath away and brought tears to his eyes.

“When I saw that routine, it spoke to me. I… can’t explain it. You are a beautiful, expressive skater. Honestly, I only hope that I can do the routine justice. Even though, if you were awake, I think that you would protest that statement.”

Victor smirked. “I wish I could use it as my Free Skate, but I think that Yakov might actually have a heart attack if I suggested it.” He shrugged. “So, exhibition skate it is.”

There was a quiet knock at the door. A nurse poked her head in the door and said in slow, careful English. “Excuse me, it is time for Katsuki-san’s exercises? You can stay, sorry to interrupt…”

Victor shook his head. “No, please.”

He stood up from the chair and moved to a corner of the room. Victor sighed as he leaned up against the wall and watched the nurse move Yuuri’s arms and legs in careful, measured exercises.  _ That’s good. I’m glad to see that they are working with him like that. Hopefully it will prevent complete muscle atrophy. He might never skate again, but at least he’ll be able to walk… _

Victor leaned his head back against the wall. He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander as the therapist worked through Yuuri’s exercises.  _ What kinds of things have you seen in that world. Is that game’s world exciting? Terrifying? Exhilarating? Horrific? _

_ How do you spend your days there? Are you fighting just to survive? Are you trying to get out, to beat the game? Or are you playing it safe? _

Victor glanced over to the still form on the bed.  _ Please, don’t do anything reckless. Just do what you have to, to survive… _

***  
August 19, 2023  
20:00 - Tokyo, Japan

Victor sighed as he sat down on the chair in his hotel room.  _ Now what? Visiting hours are over, so I can’t go back to the hospital tonight… Wait, it’s only 13:00 in Geneva. I’ll call Chris! _

Victor smiled as he unlocked his phone and hit Chris’s contact to make the call. The phone rang three times before a voice on the other end said, “Victor, great timing. I just finished my training for the day. I was about to go meet Julian for a late lunch.”

Victor said, “So, I take it that your new relationship is going well?”

Chris replied. “So far. We’ve only been dating for a few weeks, but I feel a connection with him. Like he could be the one…”

Victor laughed. “Here we go. Isn’t that what you said about the last guy? What was his name? Pierre?”

Chris gasped in mock horror. “You take that back. Julian is  _ nothing _ like Pierre.”

Victor smiled. “I know. Remember, I know Julian. He’s been competing for years. And all joking aside, I think that he is a good match for you.”

Chris chuckled. “Thank you, Victor.” He sighed. “But enough about  _ my _ love life. What about you? Did you  _ really _ go to Japan?”

Victor replied, “Yes, I arrived late last night. I spent today at the hospital, and I plan to go back tomorrow. Then I’ll fly back home the day after.”

Chris asked, “Victor, why? Why did you fly halfway across the world to visit a man that you don’t know? That won’t even know that you were there?”

Victor huffed in exasperation. “First Yakov, and now you… I have no idea why. I just… felt like I needed to come. Like I needed to see him.” His voice grew quiet as he added, “I know, it doesn’t make any sense…”

“You’re right, it doesn’t make any sense. But, it sounds like you might be a little infatuated with him.”

Victor huffed out a laugh. “What? That’s ridiculous. How could I? I don’t even  _ know  _ him.”

“But it sounds like you are in love with the thought of him. The image of Katsuki that you have created in your head. Just, be careful, Victor. Remember, there is a real possibility that he will never wake up. And even if he does…”

Victor sighed dejectedly. “I know. He won’t know that I came. Believe me, these are all of the same things that I told myself before I came.”

Victor scrubbed his hand down his face. “What’s wrong with me, Chris?”

On the other side of the line Chris sighed. “I wish I knew what to tell you, Victor. But…”

“I know.”

_ I don’t know how to fix this either… _

***  
August 20, 2023  
10:00 - Tokyo, Japan

Victor knocked quietly on the doorframe before entering the now familiar hospital room. He sighed.  _ I already hate this place. I hate what this has done to him. I wish… _

_ I wish that I could really meet him. _

Victor took a deep breath, steeling himself before stepping around the blue curtain. Despite the fact that he had been there just the day before, the sight still stole his breath.  _ It never gets easier to see, this slow wasting away. He was an athlete in his prime! That, I think, is what hurts the most… _

Victor walked quietly to the chair next to the bed and sat down, letting his bag drop to the floor. Vicchan whined as Victor sat, his tail wagging in expectation.

Victor smiled as he reached into his bag. He pulled out a dog treat and said, “Good morning, Vicchan. Were you hoping for more treats today?”

Vicchan took the treat from Victor’s hand. As he munched happily on the treat, Victor sighed. “I still feel like I’m talking to myself when I come here. I know that Yuuri can’t hear me. But I cannot stand the thought of him being here alone all of the time.”

Victor touched Yuuri’s hand gingerly. “Do you have family, Yuuri? Do they visit you? What about friends, aside from Phichit? Who sits by your bedside? Anyone?”

He sighed. “It’s not like you can answer me. I should ask Phichit, next time I speak with him. He might know.”

Victor reached down into the bag. Vicchan’s ears perked up and his tail began to wag. Victor chuckled. “No, Vicchan. This isn’t for you. It’s for Yuuri.”

He pulled a stuffed poodle out of his bag, slightly smaller than Vicchan. It was obviously handmade. The poodle looked like Makkachin, but it was wearing Victor’s free skate costume from the previous season. All four of the poodle’s feet sported skates with gold blades, and a tiny gold medal hung around its neck, the letter “V” carefully printed on it.

“A fan threw this onto the ice after my Free Skate at the World Championships. I saw it fall to the ice, and I picked it up as I made my way off. I’m sure that you’ll see picture of me holding it in the Kiss and Cry when you wake up. I kept it because it looked so much like Makka, and it  _ is  _ one of a kind.”

“But then I saw Vicchan. And realized that it looked like him, too. And I thought that you might like to have it, Yuuri. I hope that you like it, when you wake up.”

He placed the small poodle on the table beside the bed, where other small offerings were gathered. Little tokens littered nearly every available surface in the room. Victor smirked.

_ It seems like a lot of the items that were here before are gone now. Someone has been coming and taking some of his get well gifts elsewhere. But, some things are still here from before. _

He smiled as he noticed the signed photograph that he had brought the last time, still where he had left it. On the table next to it was the picture of Phichit and the young skater sporting their gold medals.  _ Whoever is taking things out knows what items are important. They are making sure that things left by friends and colleagues are left here, so that he can see them when he wakes. _

_ There are still flowers, like the last time. I’m surprised. He’s been like this for months. I wonder who sends them? Friends? Fans? _

_ At least someone is making sure that there are not too many flowers in here, and that the wilting ones get cleared away. _

Victor pursed his lips together in thought. “Someone is taking good care of you, Yuuri. I’m glad of it.”

Victor sighed. “I have to go back to Russia tomorrow. The Grand Prix Series will be here before I know it. All of Russia is depending on me to win the gold, again. Once I return to Russia tomorrow, I’ll once again be ‘Russia’s Hope.’”

“But for today, I’m just Victor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A real world chapter! Poor Victor. I'm sorry that it has been so long since this fic has updated, but I promise that I will not abandon it. I have too many things in mind for it going forward!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always appreciated.
> 
> Also, feel free to check out my tumblr:[ schaladresdan](http://schaladresdan.tumblr.com/). I'll post updates on my stories there.


End file.
